We're A Team
by jamese765
Summary: When we last left Clementine, she had lost everyone she ever cared about. But she won't be alone for long, as the figure mentioned in the Epilogue of "When It All Goes Wrong" takes her under his wing and helps her keep her promises. (mildly altered Season 2 story) (For those who had trouble reading the first story, I will try hard to make sure this story is easier to follow)
1. Prologue

" _You have to survive."_

The words rang in Clementine's head, as she watched the mysterious figure get closer and closer. Finally, she could see that it's a young man approaching her. Without hesitation, she pointed the gun at him, fearing he may be trouble. "Whoa," he said, putting his hands up. "Easy, kid. I don't want to hurt you." "Are you lying to me?" she asked. "My group was tricked by people who said that before." The young man looked at her. _How did she end up alone?_ He thought. "Where's your group?" He asked her. "I- Th- they're dead," she said, lowering the gun. "One of the group got bit and turned before we could put him down. Killed everyone but me and two men who were in the engine of the train we were using to reach Savannah. I survived the fall, thanks to the sacrifice of the other who fell out with me, then found the rest, who had joined two others." She paused, wiping a tear from her eye. "The adults that were left gave their lives to make sure I got out. As far as I know, I'm the only one left." Her story finished, she broke down and cried for the first time since her escape. Moved by her story, and seeing her so upset, the young man carefully sat next to her and offered his sympathies. "I'm sorry that this happened to you," he said. "It'll be alright. Might take time, but it'll be alright." Clementine found some comfort in the words, as she wiped the last of her tears away. "By the way," the young man said. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. Name's Jeff, and you are…" "Clementine," she replied. "That's a nice name," he told her, smiling. "Thank you," she said. "Now, I can't leave you all alone out here," he said, with a bit of concern in his voice. "How'd you like to come along with me?" Clementine thought about it. Could she really trust a man she just met? Then, she remembered how she had trusted Lee when he offered to look after her, until they found her parents. She needed help with survival and this could be her only chance for a long time to have someone to watch out for her. "Okay," she said, giving a weak smile. "Alright," he said. "That's settled. I promise to help you keep any promises you likely made to your friends, when they gave their lives for you. We'll get started first thing in the morning." "Sounds good," she replied, as she helping him set up camp.


	2. Chapter 1

**Starting Over**

 **7 Months Later:**

The old rest stop didn't look like much, but it would serve a purpose for many who traveled near it. Clementine knew they couldn't stay long, but it would be a good place to seek shelter for a while. As she thought about the long awaited rest, Jeff spoke up. "Ok, Clem, I got a scenario for you," he said. "Okay," Clem replied. "If I ever find a beautiful woman," he began. "Fall in love with her and have a son with her...what do you think of Jeff Jr as a name?" Clementine knew he was joking, but couldn't resist a witty reply. "One of you is enough for me, Jeff," she said, with a smirk. "Oh, that stung like a walker bite," he replied, in mock offense. After taking a few minutes of making sure the area was clear, they approached the doors for the restrooms of the abandoned building. "Ok, Clem," Jeff began. "You use the women's restroom to clean up. I'll be in the men's room." "Okay," she replied, as she opened the door.

Once inside, Clementine took out a bottle of water and placed it on the sink, then grabbed some paper towels that were unexpectedly still in their dispenser. While cleaning her face, Clementine was too distracted to notice she was no longer alone. A teenage girl had snuck in, having heard her inside, and was ready to rob her of whatever she had. "Don't move." Clementine gasped as she saw her own gun pointed at her face. "Make a move, and you're done," the teenage scavenger said. For the first time in months, Clementine was afraid. Where was Jeff? How did this girl get in without her hearing? "Please," she begged to the other girl. "I don't want any trouble." The girl smirked. "Too late for that, kid," she replied, as she began to look through the backpack. "Hmmm...nothing good," the scavenger noted. "Junk, junk, junk. Well, what have we here?" The girl picked up the torn photo of Lee and inspected it. "Who's this?" she asked. Clementine remained silent. "Not gonna talk, little fish? How about giving me that hat, then?" "No!" Clementine yelled. The hat was all she had left of her parents and she wasn't about to give that up. She nearly lost it, after the events on the train, several months ago, and wasn't going to lose it again. "You can't have my hat!"

While this was going on, Jeff carefully opened the door. He knew Clementine was in trouble, so he had to do his best to end the situation without harm coming to her. Cautiously, he tip toed into the room, hoping the unknown girl would be too busy searching the backpack to notice him. "Alright, I have to know," the girl said to Clementine, picking the photo up again. "You wouldn't keep this unless this man was important to you. Is he your daddy? What a bozo." Jeff saw his young friend glare at the girl, when she said those words. _If Clem had her gun,_ he thought. _That girl would be regretting those words._ He then carefully moved away from the door, ready to save the day. He would succeed. He would keep his promise. He- " _squeak"_

The door ruined his stealth, as the girl turned on instinct and fired.

"JEFF!" Clementine yelled.


	3. Chapter 2

**Trouble Again**

 **16 Months Later:**

The cool Autumn air made Clementine shiver slightly. Despite the fire going, in an attempt to cook a couple squirrels for dinner, she couldn't keep warm. It didn't help that she kept thinking about the day she nearly lost Jeff. When the door squeaked and the girl who had tried to rob her shot him, she thought he was gone. Lucky for both of them that he had managed to avoid a fatal wound, then knock out the teenager, before he and Clementine gathered their stuff and hurried away. Why didn't she hear that girl approaching? Why did the door have to make a noise? Why- "Everything alright, Clem?" Jeff asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Y-yeah," she lied. "Don't lie to me, Clem," Jeff replied. "You're thinking about that incident at the rest stop, again, aren't you?" Knowing she couldn't hide it, she nodded. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop blaming yourself for that?" he asked. "I'm alive and my shoulder's been completely healed for over a year. It's time to move on from that and focus on the here and now." He paused. "What would Lee or Kenny say if they were here and saw you dwelling on the past?" Clementine looked at the ground, frowning. He had a point. She knew that her late guardian wouldn't like what he saw, if he were there. Even Kenny would disapprove of it. "Okay," she said. "You're right. They wouldn't like it. None of my old group would like it to see me like that." Jeff smiled, knowing she was accepting the facts, then turned his attention to the meal that was slow to cook. "Ah, this stupid fire," he said. "Keeps trying to die." "Couldn't we put more wood on it, to make it bigger?" she asked. "Not unless you want walkers or bandits to find us," he replied. For several minutes, he tried to keep the fire going, finally giving up on the wood they were using. "This wood's too wet from the rain this morning," he said. "I'll go see if there's some dry wood. Not likely, but I may get lucky. Keep your guard up, like I taught you, and for goodness sakes, keep the fire going enough that we can at least keep warm for the night." Clementine nodded, then Jeff disappeared into the woods, on his search. Obeying his orders, she set to work finding anything that would keep the fire going. Finally, she found a scrap piece of paper in her backpack. _This could at least relight the spots that are already out,_ she thought. Taking the paper and a lighter, she knelt down by the fire and lit the makeshift fire starter. Satisfied that the paper was burning properly, she carefully set it at the edge of the little bit of kindling that hadn't burned yet and watched the fire rekindle. "That's better," she said. Just then, she heard shouting. Turning her right ear toward the source, she could faintly pick up on what was being said.

"Quit lying to us! We know you're not alone!"

"I swear! It's just me! My group's dead!"

 _Oh no! Jeff!_ She thought, as she ran to help her friend.

After a good amount of running, Clementine finally reached a clearing. In that clearing, she found Jeff surrounded by 5 bandits, all eager to kill him, if he said or did the wrong thing. "I'm not gonna ask you again," the leader of the bandits yelled. "Where's your group?" "Why won't you listen to me?" Jeff replied. "I told you I'm the only survivor, after my group was attacked by a walker herd." Clearly not satisfied with the same answer, the bandits readied their rifles, aiming to kill her friend. Thinking fast, she picked up a good sized rock and threw it, hoping it hit one of the bandits. Without much warning, one of the bandits was hit on the top of his head and he fell down unconscious. "What the-" the leader said, looking around. "Over there!" one of the others yelled, having spotted her. "Clementine, RUN!" Jeff yelled, before tackling the leader of the bandits. Without hesitation, she ran as fast as she could, with two bandits giving chase. As she ran, she heard gunshots and Jeff yelling out in pain. _Why Jeff?_ She thought, as tears formed in her eyes. _Why did you have to die? Now I'm alone!_ Remembering she wasn't out of danger yet, she returned her focus to her escape. "Get back here, you little- AAAAHH!" Clementine dared to look back and found that one of her pursuers was now walker food. Soon, she found herself dodging not only the lone remaining bandit, but walkers that had been drawn to the noise of the gunfight and chase. She got lucky and had many close calls, but made it to the river, where she became trapped. There, a walker tackled her and tried to bite her. Thinking fast, she kicked it repeatedly, then backed up, to get away...right into the river below. She fought hard to stay above water as the currents carried her away.


	4. Chapter 3

**New Friends**

" _Clementine, RUN!"_

The words echoed in Clementine's head ,as she finally came to. Slowly, she got up and looked around, taking in her surroundings. It didn't take her long to realize she had gone some distance down river, and she was alone. Not a bandit or walker in sight, much to her relief. However, that relief was short lived, as the memories of the chase and the standoff before it came flooding back into her mind. "Jeff," she said, sadly. Her friend and protector was gone. Killed by bandits, leaving her alone, once again. Looking around, she found what looked like the remains of an old wooden bridge or dock. "I have to get up there," she told herself. Determined to make it, she squatted down, then jumped up with all her strength, in an effort to reach the closest board. However, her efforts weren't quite enough, as she missed by centimeters. Unwilling to give up, she tried again, barely managing to catch it. Making sure she had a proper grip, she pulled herself up and walked up the small flight of stairs, stopping at the top to survey the area. "Hello?" she called. The only response she got was silence. _Guess I really am alone,_ she thought, as she moved forward. She hadn't gone very far when she heard a noise. Startled, she backed up a bit, listening to the sound, in hopes of figuring out what was nearby. Cautiously, she moved toward the source, which was coming from a nearby camp. There, she was surprised to find a dog. Cautiously, she approached the dog. Hearing her, it turned around and stared at her, unsure how to react. "Hey," Clementine said. The dog eyed the newcomer, with curiosity, as she slowly approached him. "It's okay," she said. "I won't hurt you." Carefully, she reached to pet the dog, hoping a kind act would prove to him she wasn't a threat. Unfortunately for her, the dog saw this act as a threat and attacked, without warning. Clementine tried hard to fight the animal off, but she had trouble keeping him back. Her situation only got worse when he bit down on her arm, when she put it up to prevent her face from being bit off. "Aaahh!" she called out. "Let go!" The dog didn't let go, however, as he still saw her as a threat and wouldn't stop until she fled or died. Finally, she had enough and kicked the dog, forcing him to release her arm as he flew backward. There was the sound of the dog landing, followed by a loud yelp, signifying that the dog had landed hard. Temporarily ignoring the pain in her arm, Clementine cautiously moved forward and found the dog impaled by a tent spike she had managed to kick him onto. It was clear that he was suffering, so she searched for something to put him out of his misery. Finding a knife near a walker that was tied to a tree, she killed the walker then walked over to the dog. She stared at him and was saddened that she had been forced to kill him, then crouched down to him, as he whimpered in pain. "I'm sorry," she said. Without a second thought, she stuck the knife into the dog's skull, killing him instantly and ending his suffering. The deed done, she stood up and took one last look. _Poor dog,_ she thought. _Likely had some bad experiences with people, after this all began. Probably was starving, too._ She then turned away and set to work finding a way to take care of the wound on her arm. She tried to keep going, but had to stop twice, as the pain was overwhelming. Finally, she had no choice but to sit down and rest. Her vision was becoming blurry and she felt herself starting to lose consciousness. Unfortunately for her, she heard an all too familiar and unwelcome sound, as a walker approached her. _Oh great,_ she thought. _Walkers and I have no way to escape or protect myself._ Failing to find the strength to stand, she prepared for what she thought would be the end of her life. "I'm sorry Lee and Jeff," she said, quietly. "I tried." Just as she said those words, the walker prepared to bite, but suddenly fell dead. Even with her blurred vision, Clementine could see an arrow in its head. Then she heard voices.

"Grab her, and let's go!"

"Come on kid. We gotta get."

Next thing she knew, the younger of the two men who had saved her scooped her up and ran after the other. They ran for a good distance, before finally stopping to rest. "I think...I think we're safe," to older man said. The young man holding her looked around. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, we're good." He turned to her. "Hey, you alright?" Clementine was too out of it to reply right away, but finally managed to find the words. "I-I think so," she replied. Satisfied with her answer, the men continued walking in silence. She wasn't sure exactly what to make of her rescuers, who had appeared out of nowhere to save her life. Where did they come from? Are they friendly? How could she be sure she'd be safe with them? "What are you doin' out here?" the older man asked, interrupting her thoughts. "Where are the people you're with?" the young man added. She looked down, in sorrow. As far as she knew, her only companion for the last two years was dead. She didn't want to tell these men that, but she knew she couldn't lie. "My friend and I ran into trouble with some bandits," she began. "He-he gave his life to save me." The two men looked at each other. "So you're alone?" the one carrying her asked. "Yes," was all she could say, as she tried not to cry. "It's alright," the older man said. "It must hurt, knowing he's gone." He wasn't wrong, there. It hurt worse than the dog bite she was trying to keep hidden, in case they mistook it for a walker bite. "These bandits," the young man said. "Were they looking for anyone? Did they mention their names?" She shook her head. "No names," she said. "I don't know what they wanted, but they definitely didn't like my friend's replies to their questions." "Alright then," the young man said. "By the way...I'm Luke, and this is Pete. And you are?" "Clementine," she replied. "It's nice to meet you, Clementine," Luke said. "We're sorry about your friend. We'll take you to our group, for now. We have a doctor, who can look after any injuries you might- OH S***!" Next thing she knew, she was on the ground. "Where'd you get that bite?" he asked. _So much for hiding it,_ she thought. "I found an abandoned camp, not far from where you found me," she began. "There was a dog and I found out the hard way it had trust issues. The bite is from the dog." "I didn't see signs of a camp," Pete said. "I got away from it, after getting the dog away from me," Clementine replied. "I-I had no choice but to kill it." "Man," Luke said. "I know it attacked you, but you could've found a way to avoid killing it. Killing dogs just doesn't work, for me, regardless of why you do it." There was a long silence, before a decision was made. "Well," Pete said. "We'll take you to our cabin. Our doctor can check it to see if it is a lurker bite or a dog bite." "I suppose that's the best option," Luke replied, before turning to Clementine. "Can you walk?" "I think so," she said. With that, the trio walked toward the aforementioned cabin. After what felt like an hour, they finally reached the clearing it was in. Luke and Pete smiled at the sight, but Clementine wasn't doing so well. She was tired and the effects of the bite were taking their toll. "There it is," Luke said. "Home sweet- Hey, you feeling alright?" "I'm fine," she said. "Don't worry about…" Her words trailed off as she fell down. Luke and Pete hurried over to her, worried. "Clementine?" Luke's call echoed in her mind as she lost consciousness.

-

"This was a reckless decision, Pete!"

"She was alone and lurkers were closing in, Rebecca. We had to do something!"

"Before or after you found out she was bitten?"

"It was a dog. At least, that's what she says, and I believe her. I-"

"You believe a girl you just met? For all we know, she's working for Carver! That man's not above using children for his schemes!"

"Calm down, Rebecca."

"Don't tell me to be calm, Pete! This has to end here and now. I say we either kill her now or send to the woods so she can't attack us when she turns!"

The argument was too much for Clementine, as she woke up. Pete, a young man she didn't recognize, and a pregnant woman were arguing over her fate and it wasn't sounding like Pete was winning. Slowly, she moved to stand up. However, that plan was halted by the barrel of a rifle in her face. "Stay where you are!" the young man ordered. "Cool it, Nick!" Pete said. "She's harmless." "Like we believe that!" Nick replied. "She's working for Carver, I know it!" "I'm not working for anyone!" Clementine said, with her voice raised. "I don't know who this 'Carver' guy is, so stop accusing me of knowing him." Rebecca glared at her, with obvious signs of distrust and disbelief in her expression. "Working for Carver or not," she said. "You're bitten! That's enough to sign your death warrant, in my book! You're a danger to this group! You have to be put down before-"

"No one is putting anyone down!"

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice and Clementine was in shock. There, with a fresh bandage on an obviously wounded shoulder, was Jeff. "I thought you were dead." she said. "Nearly was, Clem," Jeff replied. "Now what's this I hear about someone wanting to put you down?" "She's been bitten," Rebecca declared, still determined to end Clementine. "Sorry that your reunion has to end on such a sad note, but we can't have her here if she's gonna turn!" "Go ahead and try," Jeff said, raising his rifle. He turned to Clementine. "Did you get bitten?" he asked. She nodded. "A dog I misjudged attacked me," she said. "He bit my arm, then I ended up killing him, since he refused to let me leave alive." "Stop giving us that sob story, girl!" Rebecca said. "Enough from you!" Jeff said. His anger toward Rebecca was building by the second, and it showed. "I found the dog she says bit her, impaled on a camping spike. This likely was from a kick that sent it flying and there was blood on his teeth, which is proof enough for me that her story is true." Pete nodded, accepting Jeff's story. "She did say something about having no choice but to kill the dog," he said. "The impaling of spikes into its body would be reason enough to kill it, to end the suffering the poor animal ended up dealing with." Jeff smiled as he realized that someone was on his side on the matter. _Bang!_ Jeff's smile faded fast as he looked to see smoke coming out of Nick's shotgun. Fearing the worst, he looked to Clementine, who had no visible bullet wounds, but did have a look of fear on her face. He looked near her left hand and saw that Nick had shot the ground, as a warning. "What's wrong with you?!" he demanded, as he turned toward Nick. "S-she tried to get away," Nick replied. "Are you trying to get us killed, Nick?" Pete asked, taking the young man's gun away. "Every lurker for five miles heard that!" Rebecca said. Then she returned her attention to the original issue. "We can't chance it," she said. "The girl's gotta be put down." Clementine heard Jeff's gun click. "I'm not above shooting a pregnant woman, when she's threatening the life of my friend," he said. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," said a man who came from the cabin to defend Rebecca. "Why are you pointing that gun at my wife?" he asked. "She's threatening my friend," Jeff replied, motioning to Clementine. "I don't take threats on her life or mine lightly." "And we don't take threats toward us lightly," Nick said. Jeff began to reply, but was stopped when the front door of the cabin opened and out leaned a teenage girl. "Is everything okay out here?" she asked, then gasped when she saw the standoff. "Sarah, get back inside," he heard another man say. "Okay," the girl said, before disappearing. In her place, a Hispanic man in a flannel shirt walked out. "What's with the pointing of guns, here?" he asked. "The girl's been hurt in a dog attack, Carlos," Pete said. "She needs medical attention." Carlos looked at the situation before him. "I'll help her, but only if that man lowers his weapon," he said, looking at Jeff. Knowing it'd do more harm than good to ignore the request, Jeff lowered his gun. The situation defused, Carlos approached Clementine. "Now, let's see how bad it is," he said. Carefully, he pulled her shirt sleeve back and inspected the damage. Jeff, tough as he was, shuddered a little at the sight. He'd seen some nasty injuries, but most were on people he never knew. This was different, as he and Clementine had become good friends, as well as a good survivor team. "Hmmm," Carlos said, studying the wound. "I have to agree with her story that it was a dog. Lurkers don't leave these kind of marks, when they bite. I can have this cleaned and stitched in no time." "She's not getting inside!" Rebecca said, with determination. "That's not your call, Rebecca," her husband said. "Be quiet Alvin," she replied. "I'm not taking any chances." "You should listen to your husband, Rebecca," Carlos said. "He's right. It's my call, not yours. And I say she's going inside for the care she needs." "Thank you," Jeff said, as they were lead inside.

Never before had Clementine imagined the pain of having to get stitches, but now she had a full understanding, as Carlos dealt with the wound. Tough as she had become, she still held onto her friend's hand, until the work was done. "There," Carlos said, as he wrapped gauze around the stitched up wound. "That'll take time to heal, but it should be fine." "Thank you," she said. Carlos smiled, then turned to Jeff. "I'm impressed with how well you took care of that wound on your shoulder," he said. "When you've been shot in the same shoulder more than once, you get good at bandaging it," Jeff said. Carlos nodded in approval of his work. Just then, Sarah peeked into the kitchen. "Is everything alright, dad?" she asked. "Yes Sarah," Carlos said. "Everything's fine. Now go back upstairs." A look of disappointment crossed the teenager's face. "Okay," she said, before disappearing. Jeff couldn't help but notice a potential problem in the making, based on the conversation between father and daughter. ""I know you don't want your daughter seeing certain things," he said, looking at Carlos. "But it's because of her curiosity that I was so willing to put my gun down when you asked." "It was?" Carlos asked. "Yes," Jeff replied. "I realized I wasn't the only one determined to protect those important to me. I have Clementine to protect, and you guys have Rebecca's baby and Sarah." Carlos nodded in acknowledgement. "That," he began. "And the fact that we've had trouble with bite victims before. What's worse, Sarah has trouble accepting the way the world is. She lost her mother to this-this...madness. I want to keep her safe. She's all I have left and I want to keep her from seeing as much of what's out there as I can." Jeff thought about what Carlos said...then realized what he was doing. "You're sheltering her," he said. "I'm protecting her!" Carlos replied, clearly on the defensive. "She can't know what it's like out there. That's why I keep her inside, as much as possible. Those lurkers are everywhere. If she went outside and got too close to the woods...she would be dead before we could save her." "What do you think's gonna happen if you end up having to leave the cabin, to avoid being found by Carver?" Clementine asked. "How will you keep her from seeing what's been happening?" "It's none of your concern," Carlos said. "It's definitely our concern," Jeff said. "Your daughter will either die because she couldn't protect herself or because the shock of facing reality will cause her to stop functioning and the walkers will seize the opportunity and make a meal of her." "Don't you dare say that about my little girl!" Carlos said, his voice raised. "She will not die, if I can protect her! I can-" "What you can and can't do is irrelevant, with the way this world is now," Jeff interrupted. "I'm trying to help you avoid Sarah becoming like another girl I encountered, before I found Clem." He paused, trying to remember the events. "Sometime before I found Clementine outside Savannah," he began. "I met a nice family. A man, his wife, and their 10 year old daughter. I tagged along with them for a while, because I was tired of going alone. It was two days into my time with them that I began to notice that they would make her cover her eyes when walkers were near. They did everything they could to keep her from seeing reality and I knew it'd be a matter of time before they would make a mistake that would cost them her life or her sanity. Well...that day came, shortly before I discovered Clementine. We were wandering near Savannah, when a walker came out of nowhere and bit the father, then more came, hearing his cries of pain, and took him down, then the mother. I had to pull the girl back, to avoid the same fate for her. Unfortunately, this is where I saw the results of all the sheltering. She was in such a shock that I had to carry her to safety. Once we had gotten away, I asked her if she was alright." He paused, fighting tears as he braced for the next part. "She said: 'I'm okay, but I'll be better when my parents find us.' I-I-I didn't know how to break it to her that she was an orphan. As I tried to figure out what to say, she realized that I knew something she didn't and demanded answers. I told her what happened, then...she shut down, mentally. That quick, she lost the desire to go on. I tried all kinds of ways to get her to snap out of it, but she wouldn't budge. The day before I found Clem, I…" He trailed off, unwilling to finish. "You what?" Carlos asked. "I tried one final time to snap her out of the daze she had put herself in. But...she was too far out of it. Then, a walker came up. It was what remained of her dad." Carlos and Clementine gasped. "I tried to get her to run, but she saw him and thought he was still living, and that I had been wrong. She ran to him faster than I could catch her and… she- she hugged him, telling him how much she missed him. Then he bit down on her neck hard. Too late, she realized the danger she had been in. Too late, she snapped out of the daze she'd been in. I took out the thing that had once been her dad, then held her in my arms as she died. She apologized for not listening, then… told me to kill her, because she didn't want to become one of those things. So, I took my knife, crying as I did so, and gave my own apology before putting the blade through her skull." "Oh my..." Carlos said, in complete shock at Jeff's tale. "I'm haunted to this day by the look on her face when I ended her suffering. She had her eyes closed and was smiling, knowing she would be with her parents again. When I found Clementine the next day, I vowed to not let her become like the other girl." Clementine couldn't believe it. All that time and he never told her that story. "So that's why you made sure I was able to protect myself," she said. Jeff could only nod, while Carlos sighed. The story had rattled him. Could he really risk his daughter meeting a similar fate? Could he keep trying to hide reality from her and hope she didn't find out the truth? "Alright," he said, admitting defeat. "I'll try to break the truth to her. Slowly." "That's a wise choice," Jeff said. "Telling her a little at a time will give her the chance to process what she hears." "I'm...sorry for raising my voice," Carlos said, as he left the kitchen.

As Carlos left, Luke came back in. "How's your arm, Clementine?" he asked. "Much better," she replied. "That's good," Luke said. "So...what's your story? Where did you both start from, in this mess?" "We started out with two separate stories," Jeff replied. "I began in my hometown of Peru, Indiana." "And I began my journey in Atlanta, Georgia," Clementine added. "That's a long distance from each other," Luke said. "How'd you end up meeting?" So Jeff told Luke everything from the beginning of the outbreak to the day he met Clementine, who then told her story. After getting to the day they met, they took turns highlighting the 2 years they had been surviving together, amazing Luke to the point that he couldn't really express how he felt. "Well," he said. "That's...quite a story. You've both been through so much." He paused, as a question of curiosity popped into his head. "Where are you headed?" "There's a community we heard about, up near Michigan," Jeff said. "It's called Wellington. We're going to see if it's real. If it is, we'll stay a while, then head to Indiana, in hopes I can find some family or friends still alive. If Wellington doesn't work out, we'll just go to Indiana. We'll stick around for a couple days, to get ourselves together, then we'll leave your group in peace." "Well, I hope you find what you're looking for," Luke said. "I'm off to bed. Sleep well, you two." "Goodnight," Clementine said. "I think we should get some sleep, ourselves," Jeff said, as he yawned. "Agreed," she replied, as they walked to their temporary beds.

 **Hello everyone. I hope the story hasn't been too hard to follow, so far. If it has, I'm sorry about that. I'm trying to keep it as organized as I can, but that's not easy, when I have so many ideas I want in the story. Regardless, please tell me what you think! I want to know what you like or don't like, so far!**

 **Not entirely sure on the timeline for chapter releases, but keep any eye out for updates, if you enjoy this story. Have a good day everyone!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Time To Go**

The sun had just come up over the horizon and the sight was amazing as Jeff, Clementine, and Pete stood at the edge of the woods, waiting for Nick. "What's keeping him?" Jeff asked. "With Nick, it could be anything," Pete replied. "Anyway, I hear Carlos got some sense talked into him, last night." Jeff and Clementine looked at each other, nervous that Pete may have heard an altered story. "I told him that hiding Sarah from reality isn't helping her," Jeff said. "Well," Pete replied. "You're not wrong there. Heard about your story from Carlos. Well, a shortened version of it." "Believe me," Jeff said. "The full story is hard to tell, without shedding tears." "Full story or not," Pete said. "It got his attention. He said he's gonna break the truth to her slowly, like you suggested. Once that's done, I reckon we should teach her how to use a handgun, for self defense." Jeff and Clementine nodded in agreement. "I assume you taught Clementine how to shoot," he continued, looking at Jeff. "I taught her within days of finding her. Cut her hair, too, to avoid walkers or people grabbing her that way." "Can't have another situation like what happened at the St. John's dairy," Clementine added. "Do I want to know how it went at said dairy?" Pete asked. "The less said, the better," Clementine replied. "All I'll say is they were cannibals, but are no longer a threat to the world, thanks to my old group." They could see the look of disgust on Pete's face, upon hearing such a horrid word. "Well, at least they're gone," he said. Just then, Nick walked up, eyeing Jeff suspiciously. They continued on their way, with Pete telling an embarrassing story about Nick's first hunt, making the young man more than annoyed. Finally, they reached the river. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph," Pete said. Before them was an unpleasant sight. A large number of men lay dead along the river bank and on a small island in the middle. "Those are the guys that chased Clem and shot my shoulder," Jeff said, still in shock. Pete inspected one close to them closely. "Fula holes," he said. Upon closer inspection, Jeff found Pete was right. _Who would do this?_ He thought. "Who did this?" Clementine asked, seemingly echoing his thoughts. "Not sure, yet," Pete said. "But it ain't your average gang of thugs, that much I know." "Think about it," Nick said. "You're Carver. What do you do?" "Who's Carver?" Jeff asked. "I've heard the name numerous times, but have no idea who he is." Pete and Nick looked at each other. "Check the others," Pete said. _Guess he's not a nice guy, if they aren't telling us about him,_ Jeff thought. "Be careful," Pete continued. "Some of them might still be moving." Jeff and Clementine decided to split up, to help Pete and Nick get the job done faster. They search around, finding most of the men shot in the head, but Clementine found one alive, but not long enough to tell her who attacked his group. Meanwhile, Jeff made a discovery. "Clem, over here," he said. Once she had arrived, he picked up something they had both thought was lost. "So they did go to our camp, after they thought they'd killed us," she said, inspecting the backpack. "At least they didn't destroy what's inside." "AAAAH!" Pete yelled, as he shot a walker that caught him off guard. "Pete!" Nick called. "I'm fine," Pete replied. Clementine couldn't help but notice that he wasn't fine, though, as there was a walker bite on his right leg. "Lurkers!" Nick called, as one approached him. "I'm out of ammo," Pete said. Jeff looked at Clementine. "You help Pete, I'll help Nick," he said. Clementine nodded and hurried to help Pete. Nick took out more walkers, but found himself out of ammo as well. Jeff helped him fight off walkers, but they were overrun and Nick was taken down. With no choice, Jeff shot Nick in the head to end his suffering. He then moved to help Clementine and Pete, only to find the former standing in front of him, alone and saddened. "Pete?" he asked. She slowly shook her head. "Even if I had saved him, he would've died or turned." she said. "This won't look good to the others," Jeff replied. "They could very well assume we did it." "Well, we have to try telling them, anyway," she said. Jeff couldn't say no to that logic and they hurried back to the cabin.

Several hours later, they managed to reach the cabin. They were exhausted, after having no choice but to hide in abandoned building after abandoned building, to keep the walkers off them, and finally had a chance to rest. They walked inside, where Carlos and a very worried Rebecca were waiting. "Jeff! Clementine!" Carlos said. "Are you alright?" "Yeah," Jeff replied. "Luke's not with you?" Carlos asked. "Where's Alvin?" Rebecca added. "We didn't know they were out there," Jeff said. "We were too busy dodging walkers. Pete and Nick, they…" He trailed off, too upset that they couldn't save them. "We have to go," Rebecca said. "What?" Carlos asked. "Hold on a minute, I'm sure they'll be back soon." "My husband is out there, Carlos," Rebecca replied. GET THE GUNS!" Quickly, Carlos grabbed the guns and he and Rebecca began to leave. "Listen," Carlos said. "Can you two keep an eye on Sarah?" "No problem," Jeff said. "Thank you," Carlos replied. "And...please let Sarah know about Pete and Nick." Jeff and Clementine nodded as the pair left. They found Sarah up in her room, checking out an old camera she had found. "I haven't seen such an antique in years," Jeff said. "Even before the outbreak began, it was hard for me to find one." "Well, you could keep that, if no one else wants it," Sarah said. "I don't know," Jeff replied. "Hard to keep things safe, these days." He paused, remembering what he had to tell her. "Sarah, Pete and Nick are gone." "Gone?" Sarah asked. "They wouldn't leave...unless you mean…" She trailed off, in realization. "Was it the lurkers?" Jeff nodded, solemnly. "That's bad," she said. "Did you try to say them?" "We did, but even if we had saved Nick, Pete was bit," Clementine told her. Sarah realized that death had been unavoidable in that matter, fully accepting the world as she had finally been told it was like. Jeff then dismissed himself, leaving Clementine to explain where Carlos and Rebecca had gone, and stationed himself in the living room. He hadn't been there long when he heard the girls coming down the steps. "I thought you two were going to stay upstairs," he said. "I think Luke's back," Sarah said. She started for the backdoor, then suddenly stopped. "Oh no," she whispered. "Not him. Not now." "Carver?" Clementine asked, to which Sarah on nodded. Thinking fast, Jeff got an idea. "Clem, take Sarah out the front door, quietly, and hide at the edge of the woods," he said. "I'll deal with him." The girls quickly and quietly exited the cabin, as Jeff readied himself for the lies he was going to have to tell. Calmly, he opened the backdoor. "Can I help you?" He asked. "Yes, I believe you can," the visitor replied. "I'm looking for my people."

Meanwhile, in the woods, Clementine and Sarah waited, with great concern for Jeff. "What if Carver doesn't believe him?" Sarah asked. "Jeff's gotten us out of many similar situations," Clementine replied. "He'll be fine." "If you say so," Sarah said, before they returned their attention to the cabin.

Back inside, Jeff wasn't having too much luck trying to send the uninvited guest away, quickly. "Did your people get lost?" Jeff asked. "Yes, they did," Carver replied. "Mind if I come in?" he asked, before walking inside anyway. "You know," Jeff said. "Even with the world messed up like it is, it's still rude to invite yourself inside." "My apologies," Carver replied. "But I really need to find my people. They could be hurt, scared,...dead. And I need to know." "What do they look like?" Jeff asked. "An old man, his nephew with an itchy trigger finger and his farmer friend, a hispanic man and his daughter, a big black guy, and a pretty pregnant lady," Carver said. "Any of them sound familiar?" "I've seen too many faces, dead and undead, to remember if I have," Jeff replied. Carver walked around upstairs, then knelt down and picked up a photo. "Who's this?" he asked, showing him a picture of Clementine. _Sarah must've took that and forgot to keep it upstairs,_ Jeff thought. "My niece," he said. "Well, I don't see anyone else here," Carver replied. "Where is she?" "She got lost a few days ago," Jeff lied. "I-I-I've been searching ever since, only coming back here to rest and eat. We're all that's left of our family and I want to find her, desperately." "Well, I hope you find her," Carver said, moving toward the door. "Whether you do or don't, you can always come find my camp, where we'll gladly take you in." "Thanks for the offer," Jeff said. "But I think I'll be fine here, for now." "Suit yourself," Carver replied. "If you do see my people...let them know Bill stopped by looking for them." Jeff didn't bother to reply and the man left. Once he knew for sure it was safe, he signaled for the girls to get back inside, where they waited for the others to return.

Half an hour after Carver's departure, the rest of the group returned. "How did it go?" Carlos asked. Jeff, Clementine and Sarah looked at each other nervously, making him frown in concern. "What happened?" "Carver was here," Jeff said. "What!?" Rebecca said. "When?" "He left half an hour ago," Sarah said. "Jeff had Clem and I hide, while he worked to get rid of him." "This isn't good," Luke said. "Even if Jeff managed to keep him off our trail, he's bound to come back and he'll find us." "It's time to go," Alvin said. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Clem and I need to be moving on, anyway," Jeff said. "We'll head in the opposite direction you guys-" "I'm sorry, Jeff," Carlos interrupted. "But he knows of you two now, so it's not safe for you two to go by yourselves, anymore. Where we go...it's best that you come too." Jeff couldn't argue the point, as it was the truth. Carver _did_ know of them, so it would be better if they stuck with the group. With little time to waste, they packed up what they could take and headed out the door.


	6. Chapter 5

**Surprise Reunion**

It was a long walk, but everyone knew they had to put as many miles between them and Carver as they could. Along the way, Rebecca apologized for her earlier hostility and was forgiven, while Jeff helped Carlos teach Sarah about proper handgun use. Finally, they reached a bridge, where Jeff offered to use his binoculars to investigate the area. As he looked around, he saw a few potential places to finally rest properly. "Okay, so the bridge looks structurally sound," he began. "And there's a small building just on the other side of it, and there's the ski lodge up on the hill." "Ski lodge is more than enough room for us," Luke said. "What do you guys think?" "I think it's worth a look," Alvin said. "Anywhere I'm safe to get off my feet is fine with me," Rebecca added. It was quickly clear that the decision to check out the lodge would be unanimous, with Jeff and Clementine volunteering to scout the bridge. As they approached, Jeff made an observation. "This was a railroad bridge," he said. "But it looks like it hasn't been used since probably before the outbreak even began." "How can you tell?" Clementine asked. "I studied abandoned railroads for historical purpose. It was also a hobby, before this began," he replied. "After a while, you don't need dates of abandonment to figure out a rough estimation." "Fair enough," Clementine said, as they moved on. After taking out a couple walkers, they carefully made their way across. "Be careful," Jeff said. "These railroad ties are a bit on the rotten side, in places." As they made their way, they saw an obstacle: A railroad car that had been left on the bridge. "Had to have been one hasty abandonment to leave this here," Clementine said, as they crept around the car. "No doubt," Jeff agreed. Their observations would be interrupted, however, by a man walking toward them. "Hello," he said. "You two just passing through?" "We were scouting out the bridge, so our group could cross," Jeff replied. "How many are in your group?" the man asked. "There's eight, if you include the baby on the way for a couple in our group," Clementine replied. "I see," the man said. "By the way, the name's Matthew." "I'm Jeff," Jeff said. "And this is Clementine. We'll introduce the rest when they get here." "Sounds good," Matthew replied, as he looked back to see the others joining them. Just then, the railroad tie beneath Jeff began to give way, causing him to drop his gun. "Whoa!" Jeff said, as he rapidly moved to the side. He began to express relief, when he heard a gun go off. Everyone looked to Matthew, who now had a wound in his chest, as he fell. Jeff gasped when he saw his gun smoking out of the barrel, laying on the tie that nearly took him to the river below. "No," he said, in shock. "No, no, no!" Quickly, he dropped beside the dying man. "I'm sorry," he said. "The bridge started to give up beneath me." "It's-it's alright," Matthew replied, struggling to speak. "Accidents happen. Just wish it hadn't...killed me,...this time. Tell my group I said I'm sorry for not returning." With that, he breathed his last and was gone. Jeff felt terrible. It had been his gun that had killed someone, despite the lack of control in the matter. Thinking quick, as he noticed a few walkers had been drawn by the gunshot, he took his knife and stuck it into Matthew's skull, then helped Luke toss him over the edge. "Why'd you toss him over?" Sarah asked. "It wouldn't sit well with me to accept his forgiveness, only to leave him as a free meal for the walkers," Jeff replied. "Seemed more respectful to do that, since there's no time to bury him." Everyone solemnly agreed, as they moved on, taking out the walkers as they went.

After resting at the small station at the bottom, the group made their way up the steep hill, to reach the lodge. Once there, Luke asked Clementine to take Jeff's binoculars to the top of one of the lift towers, to get a good view of the area. "What do you see?" Luke called, after she had reached the top. "I see the bridge," she replied. "Looks like it's still empty, for now." Suddenly, two pairs of headlights appeared on the side they had started from, then vanished. Unsure what to make of it, she climbed down, only to see the group on the deck of the lodge. From the sound of it, they were talking- no arguing with some people.

"Listen, everyone, just stay calm!"

"Who are you? Are you trying to rob us?"

"Do I look like a thief?!"

"Everyone calm down!"

"We'll calm down when you prove you're not hostile!"

"Hey, man, put the gun down!"

"F*** that!"

 _Wait a second,_ she thought. _It can't be…_

Carefully, she pushed her way past her group and gasped when she reached the front. "Kenny?" she said, in shock. "Clementine?" Kenny replied, equally surprised. "Wait- you know this guy?" Luke asked. The reply Luke got came in the form of Clementine hugging Kenny. "Well, there's your answer, Luke," Jeff said. Kenny looked at her, with a smile. "These people with you?" he asked, gesturing to the group behind her. Clementine nodded, in response. "We can talk inside and get things sorted out, while Walter cooks dinner," Kenny said, as he stood up. "Are you sure you don't mind?" Carlos asked. "It's perfectly fine," Walter replied. They all walked inside, where everyone was amazed at how large the building was. There was definitely plenty of space, plus the Christmas lights made it seem like there wasn't anything wrong with the outside world. "Kenny and Sartia have been staying with us for several weeks," Walter said. "Used to be a ski lodge, obviously, so there's plenty of food. And, believe it or not, there's still power from the turbine out from. We found all the decorations and just set them up to liven the place up." After some convincing, everyone set their things down, by the main entrance, and walked around to inspecting the place. After she finished checking everything out, Clementine sat on a couch, where Kenny joined her. "Still wearing this dirty old thing, huh?" he asked. "Well, at least you didn't lose it in your escape from Savannah. Half expected Omid, Christa, or Chuck to walk up with you, since Lee couldn't be there." The mention of all four of the people responsible for her survival in the early months of the outbreak stung, making Clementine frown. Kenny realized his mistake, as soon as he said the words, as a result. "I'm sorry, Clem, I didn't mean to upset you," he said. "It's okay," she replied. "So, who's the young man who seems to have taken to protecting you?" Kenny asked. "That's Jeff," Clementine replied, as they looked to where Jeff and Luke were talking. "He found me, just hours after I escaped Savannah. We've been surviving together since." Just then, the subject of the discussion joined them. "My burning ears told me I was being talked about," he said, with a smirk. For the next ten minutes, he and Clementine told Kenny about the highlights of their two years as a team, amazing him as they went. When they finished, he was nearly speechless. As they sat and talked about other topics, Jeff dismissed himself to check on the rest of the group. Upstairs, he found Alvin, Rebecca, and Carlos, who were discussing their fears about staying too long. "Looks, it's been a week," Alvin said. "We've gotta be out of the woods by now." "We can't be sure," Carlos replied. "They could be tracking us." "Tracking?" Alvin questioned. "Who do you think they are? Ninjas?" "We can't take any chances," Carlos said. "We have to leave at dawn." "You sure that's wise?" Jeff asked. "I mean, Clem just reunited with Kenny. We can't mess that up." "We'll have to leave, sooner or later," Rebecca replied. "If she wants to stay, we can't stop her. Since Carver doesn't know she was with us, she'd likely be safer, anyway." "No, she won't," Jeff said. "Carver found a photo Sarah had taken of Clem. He may not know she's with the group, but he knows she's connected to me, and if he finds me with you…" He trailed off, not wanting to think about what such a twisted man would do to his dearest friend. "If he thinks she's dead, like you lead him to consider," Carlos said. "She could be safer with Kenny. I know you don't want to leave her, but it may be the best option, if the worst case happens." "Dinner is served!" Walter called from downstairs. Everyone hurried to the tables, so they could eat.

Before the outbreak, Jeff would've turned away the idea of peaches and beans as a meal. However, he could no longer afford to be picky, so he accepted the food, as he sat with Luke. He was content with talking to Luke and the rest of the group, but couldn't help but be a bit saddened by the sight of Clementine sitting with Kenny and Sarita. He understood that she wouldn't be alive, if not for Kenny and others, but he had been her partner in crime for around two years. "Hey," Luke said. "You alright?" "Y-yeah," he replied. "Just not used to there being someone else for Clem to talk to. Got so used to it being just the two of us. Even when we ended up joining you guys, it wasn't so different as it is, now that Kenny's back." As if on cue, Kenny and Clementine moved over to their table. "Rough week, for you guys," Kenny said. "Sure was," Luke replied. "Glad it's over." "So am I," Jeff added. Kenny looked over toward Clementine, eyeing a can with a small number of peaches still inside. "Hey pass me that can, Duck," he said and instantly wished hadn't said a word. "How's Duck?" Luke asked. "Duck was Kenny's son," Clementine said. "He- he was bitten before we got to Savannah and turned before we could stop it." "I hadn't realized that's who the person you mentioned was, Clem," Luke replied. "I'm sorry about that, Kenny." "It's alright," Kenny said. "You didn't know." "Hey Kenny," Walter said, as he walked up. "You seen Matthew? Thought he'd be back, by now." Jeff gasped, bringing Walter's attention to him. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Matthew's not coming," Jeff said, solemnly. "Why not?" Walker asked, sounding concerned. "He-he's dead," Jeff said, making Walter, Kenny, and Sarita gasp. "There was an accident. He offered to bring us up here. As we were about to come this way, a part of the bridge started to crumble beneath me. I dropped my gun, as I hurried to save myself, and it fired as it landed. The shot killed him. I-I-I'm sorry." Walter thought about the story, hurt by the news of his friend. "It's alright," he said, through the sorrow. "You didn't do it on purpose. He'll be missed, but at least those things didn't get him." Just then, they heard an odd sound, coming from outside. Following Kenny and Walter, Jeff hurried outside, where they discovered the source. "The wind's got that turbine spinning out of control!" Kenny said. "The noise is gonna draw walkers!" "Jeff, help me get the guns," Carlos said. "We may need them." With little time to waste, the two of them gathered everyone's guns and distributed them to their rightful owners, before everyone hurried to stop the turbine. They reached the turbine, just in time for the transformer blow. "Just great!" Kenny said. "I'll go take a look and see if I can fix it." "I'm coming with you," Luke said. "Alright then," Kenny replied. "We'll take care of the transformer. The rest of you, shut this thing down!" After some work, Jeff managed to shut off the turbine, but not soon enough, as walkers were already closing in. "We don't have much ammunition!" Carlos called. He was right. Jeff and Clementine looked at their guns and realized they had very few bullets left, knowing every shot counted. Together, they wiped out several walkers, before their ammo ran out, forcing them to improvise. Everyone tried their hardest, but it soon became too much. Extremely low on ammo, they began to lose hope, but the sudden sounds of gunfire from the woods caught their attention. "That's not our guns," Carlos noted. "You're right," Jeff replied. "None of us carry automatics." Soon, all the walkers were down and their rescuers stepped out of the trees. "Well, well, well. The lost have been found." Everyone in the cabin group gasped. Before them was a man no one wanted to see. Carver smiled at Carlos, making the man uneasy. "Round them up and take them inside," Carver said. The three people with him followed orders and forced everyone who was still outside into the lodge, unaware that there were three hidden outside.

Kenny, Jeff, and Clementine watched as the others were tied up and lined up. "We have to do something," Jeff said. "Where's Luke?" Clementine asked. "No idea," Kenny said. "Think he decided to hide out and hope he could be of help later. For now, we're all they have. Jeff, ever shoot sniper rifle?" "No, but I've sniped with a regular rifle before," Jeff replied. "Good enough, cause I might need you, if things get rough," Kenny said, before returning his attention to the situation inside. They had played it smart by running from Carver and his group, before being spotted. This allowed them to be the only ones Carver couldn't find, forcing him to either search for them of take the ones he had. If the latter ended up being the case, they would need to find Luke fast. Their thoughts were interrupted by a cry of pain, as Carver broke one of Carlos' fingers. In response, Kenny shot and killed the guard who had stupidly stationed himself in front of the big windows. Carver glared in the direction the shot came from, the grabbed Walter, shooting him in the head, point blank. "No!" Kenny called. "That was for our man!" Carver called out, then grabbed Alvin. "Alvin!" Rebecca said. "Let him go, Bill!" "Sure thing, Rebecca," Carver said, before punching Alvin in the face, knocking him to the ground. Enraged at how his new allies were being treated, as well as the loss of his friend, Kenny shot Carver in the shoulder. However, the man didn't fall, as had been expected. Instead, he grabbed Sarita and pointed a gun to her head. "I can do this all night!" He shouted. "Kenny!" Rebecca called. "Stop!" "Sarita," Kenny said, with fear in his tone. "We've been dealt a bad hand, Kenny," Jeff said. "If you love Sarita as much as I suspect you do, we must surrender and come up with another plan." Kenny sighed. He didn't want to, but he valued Sarita's life. "Alright," he said. "Let's go." Less than a minute later, the trio walked in, with their hands up in surrender. "Well, well," Carver said, looking at Jeff. "Glad to see you found your niece. Makes it just too bad you both joined this group of troublemakers." Jeff, Kenny, and Clementine glared at him as they were bound and lead away with the rest of the group.

 **Hey guys! Glad to see a few of you are enjoying this, so far. It's my hope to get a chapter out at least every other day, from here on out, so keep watching for more! Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Conversation With Carver**

Worry filled Jeff and Clementine's minds as they finally reached the roof. To make matters worse, they saw Rebecca walking away from Carver crying. The man was so convinced that the baby was his and wasn't about to let anyone tell him otherwise, which explained why Rebecca was so upset. _I'm gonna laugh if that baby is Alvin's,_ Jeff thought, as they reached Carver. "Thank you, Jeff," Carver said. "You can return to your post, for now." As much as he wanted to let the man have it, after how he treated Rebecca and Reggie, Jeff just nodded and walked away. As he went, he couldn't help but notice Alvin through the skylight of Carver's office, bound and showing signs of torture. _Clearly, Carver has some personal issues with Alvin, beyond the baby,_ Jeff thought, as he moved on.

Carver watched Jeff leave, then turned his attention to Clementine. I want you to be completely honest with me, when you answer. Or else you'll end up like Alvin, down in my office. "What did you do to him?" she asked. "I didn't kill him," Carver replied. "Not yet, anyway. I did give him the punishment he deserved for his part in the original escape, though. Now, Clementine, I want you to know that, even with what happened earlier, I liked Reggie." "Is that what you called me here for?" she asked. "One of the reasons," he replied. "Reggie was the kind of person we needed here: Funny, kept a smile on his face….but he was weak. Not because of his arm, but in character and will. We don't have room for that, here. Not anymore." "Even so, he didn't deserve to die," she said. "See, that's where you're wrong," he replied. "If I let him live, the failure I allowed to slide would look bad on the community. I let it go long enough, with the string of screw-ups he's had, lately. Killing one to save many is one of the tougher decisions that a weaker person couldn't make. It's up to people like us to lead others to safety. I really wish it was different, but they are weak...and we are strong." "I'm not like you," she said, with conviction. "I'm not a killer." "That's where you're wrong," he replied. "We're more alike than you think. There's no way you could've lasted this long, otherwise. You learned from your friend and took everything to heart. It's made you stronger. That's what we need. If we're gonna get through this, the next generation has to be stronger to lead us out of this. And having support helps too." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Take your friend, Jeff, for example. He's had your back for how long now?" "Two years," she replied. "For two years, he's been there for you," Carver said. "Watched your back, kept you safe, and taught you self defense. It's that kind of support that'll make kids like you strong. Raised right, that's what they'll be. My child will be raised that way, so that he'll be ready to take over, when the time comes." "What if the child isn't yours?" Clementine asked. "Ever consider that?" Carver's face expressed his disgust at the thought of Rebecca's baby not being his. "Even if that were true," he said. "It's _mine_ now, and I'll raise it the way _I_ see fit. Now-" "Bill? You there?" Tavia said on the radio, interrupting him. He picked up his radio. "Yeah, I'm here," he said. Tavia then told him about how Troy messed up the loading dock door tracks, on the last supply run, angering him. "That idiot," he said. "Herd of walkers on its way and Troy goes and does something stupid like that! Go on back to the yard. It's almost suppertime." Feeling more uncomfortable about Carver than when she had arrived, she got off the roof and headed back to the pen, as Jeff looked on, with concern.


	8. Chapter 7

**Conversation With Carver**

Worry filled Jeff and Clementine's minds as they finally reached the roof. To make matters worse, they saw Rebecca walking away from Carver crying. The man was so convinced that the baby was his and wasn't about to let anyone tell him otherwise, which explained why Rebecca was so upset. _I'm gonna laugh if that baby is Alvin's,_ Jeff thought, as they reached Carver. "Thank you, Jeff," Carver said. "You can return to your post, for now." As much as he wanted to let the man have it, after how he treated Rebecca and Reggie, Jeff just nodded and walked away. As he went, he couldn't help but notice Alvin through the skylight of Carver's office, bound and showing signs of torture. _Clearly, Carver has some personal issues with Alvin, beyond the baby,_ Jeff thought, as he moved on.

Carver watched Jeff leave, then turned his attention to Clementine. I want you to be completely honest with me, when you answer. Or else you'll end up like Alvin, down in my office. "What did you do to him?" she asked. "I didn't kill him," Carver replied. "Not yet, anyway. I did give him the punishment he deserved for his part in the original escape, though. Now, Clementine, I want you to know that, even with what happened earlier, I liked Reggie." "Is that what you called me here for?" she asked. "One of the reasons," he replied. "Reggie was the kind of person we needed here: Funny, kept a smile on his face….but he was weak. Not because of his arm, but in character and will. We don't have room for that, here. Not anymore." "Even so, he didn't deserve to die," she said. "See, that's where you're wrong," he replied. "If I let him live, the failure I allowed to slide would look bad on the community. I let it go long enough, with the string of screw-ups he's had, lately. Killing one to save many is one of the tougher decisions that a weaker person couldn't make. It's up to people like us to lead others to safety. I really wish it was different, but they are weak...and we are strong." "I'm not like you," she said, with conviction. "I'm not a killer." "That's where you're wrong," he replied. "We're more alike than you think. There's no way you could've lasted this long, otherwise. I realized it back at the cabin. You were scared, but you looked me straight in the eye. Kept your nerve. That's what we need. If we're gonna get through this, the next generation has to be stronger to lead us out of this. And having support helps too." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Take your friend, Jeff, for example. He's had your back for how long now?" "Two years," she replied. "For two years, he's been there for you," Carver said. "Watched your back, kept you safe, and taught you self defense. It's that kind of support that'll make kids like you strong. Raised right, that's what they'll be. My child will be raised that way, so that he'll be ready to take over, when the time comes." "What if the child isn't yours?" Clementine asked. "Ever consider that?" Carver's face expressed his disgust at the thought of Rebecca's baby not being his. "Even if that were true," he said. "It's _mine_ now, and I'll raise it the way _I_ see fit. Now-" "Bill? You there?" Tavia said on the radio, interrupting him. He picked up his radio. "Yeah, I'm here," he said. Tavia then told him about how Troy messed up the loading dock door tracks, on the last supply run, angering him. "That idiot," he said. "Herd of walkers on its way and Troy goes and does something stupid like that! Go on back to the yard. It's almost suppertime." Feeling more uncomfortable about Carver than when she had arrived, she got off the roof and headed back to the pen, as Jeff looked on, with concern.

 **Hello again. For this chapter, I chose to make it short, as the whole conversation Clementine has with Carver deserved it's own short chapter, as I feel it's a seperate matter of it's own, compaired to the rest of the events at Howe's. Not much was changed (surprise, surprise), but I did make sure some things were modified, to fit the story. Enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Escape**

Clementine returned to the pen as the others were in the middle of planning the escape. "Cause we all know what happened this morning," Kenny said, as she walked up. "I don't know what's Carver's gonna do next!" "So ringing a dinner bell for a herd of to show up is your idea? How is that's better?" Mike asked. "It'll be chaos when it happens," Kenny said. "Think about it. No one will be paying attention to us, because they'll be busy fighting off the herd. It's the opportunity we need! All we have to do is find a way to draw them to us." "Your friend here wants to get us killed by lurkers before Bill can kill us himself," Rebecca said, clearly not interested in Kenny's plan. "It does sound dangerous," Sarita admitted. "But I doubt Kenny would lead us to death." Just then, the door opened and Jeff stepped inside for his visit. Waiting until Troy left, they continued their discussion. "Maybe Luke can help," Clementine said. "He's outside, and wants a radio, to help keep an eye on the herd and the guards." "Thank you, Clem," Rebecca said. "That's the plan I vote for." "You know about Luke?" Clementine asked. "Clem, I think most of us here know," Jeff said. "And I think he and I have figured out who will monitor what. Hh can watch the walker activity while I do what I've been doing since I got the offer to be a guard: Keep an eye out for any opening to get us out." "With the combined efforts of Jeff and Luke," Rebecca said. "We can watch for the right time to escape." "That seems reasonable," Sarita said, in agreement. "Who knows when that'll be," Kenny said. "There was a girl back in Savannah who used church bells to draw walkers away from the areas she wanted to go to. All we need is something really loud." "It's not like we have a church bell handy," Mike said. "The PA System Carver uses is really loud," Sarita said. "There's some speakers outside that can help," Mike added. "The controls are in Carver's office," Jedd said. "That's gonna be the challenge, as it'll be hard to get to them, even if I were to go for it." The discussion went one about whether or not the plan would work, then the other young woman in the pen, known as Jane, offered a solution to the idea of using the herd to escape: Covering themselves in the scent of the walkers. "That's just messed up!" Mike said. "There's no way it'll work." "It worked for Kenny and I in Savannah," Clementine said. "I forgot all about that, Clem," Kenny said. "She's right. What was left of our group tried to get out of Savannah doing just that. Worked like a charm...until one of the others tripped, bringing attention to all of us. It was that little mistake that left just Clementine and I to survive, but the scent idea does work. All we need to do is get that radio for Luke, then work out the right time to set off the PA system." The main plan sorted, they discussed who would get the radios for Luke and the rest of their group, with Clementine being the best option they had. After being boosted up to the ladder that would take her to the roof, she hurried to the warehouse. With some sneaking around, she managed to achieve the goal, without detection. Once back in the pen, she showed everyone she had succeeded. "Alright," Kenny said. "We've got the plan figured out. All we have to do is get the radio for Luke to him." "Best save that for morning," Jeff said, from outside the pen. Everyone agreed and went to bed.

The next morning, Kenny, Mike, and Clementine were trying to figure out who would take the radio to Luke. After a few minutes of arguing, Clementine simply grabbed it and hid it in her coat pocket, shutting both men up, as they realized she was will to take the risk. Not long after the discussion had ended, the door opened and in stepped Troy, with Jeff not far behind. "Alright, chickens," Troy said. "Let's get to peckin'. And no shenanigans today. I'll be watching you all closely." The trio followed him, as he lead the way. Before exiting the building, Troy was stopped by Bonnie. "She's with me, Troy,", she said, motioning to Clementine. "Almost forgot," Troy replied, as he motioned for Clementine to follow Bonnie. Immediately, Kenny and Mike became nervous, knowing the plan depended on her to get the radio to Luke. For around ten minutes, Clementine helped Bonnie reload gun magazines, before the latter noticed she wasn't focused. "Everything alright?" she asked. Clementine looked at her. She knew what Carver had done to Reggie. She knew he was a madman. Could she be trusted with information about their plan? Finally, she decided to risk it. "Can I trust you with some information?" she asked. "What kind of information?" Bonnie asked. "We both know Carver is nuts," Clementine began. "Our group is working on a way to get out of here, without him knowing, until it's too late to track us. I'm a key part of the plan, as I have to help Luke with his part." Bonnie was a bit surprised, though she had expected this from the group, seeing that they hated Carver. "Alright," she said. "If this works, I'd like to come along. For now, go help Luke." "Thank you," Clementine said, as she quietly hurried out the door. Outside, she carefully walked toward the comic book store. Making sure she wasn't being watched, she looked up, relieved to see Jeff standing guard. However, she could see he was nervous, reminding her that her part in the plan was critical, if they were going to , she entered the shop and looked around. "Luke?" she whispered. Getting no response, she looked around, quickly realizing that Luke wasn't there. Without warning, the front door flew open and Troy stormed inside. "That's it!" He said. "I'm done with you!" Without another word, Troy grabbed her by her coat and dragged her out of the store. "Oh no," Jeff said. "This isn't good." Without hesitation, he ran toward the pen, hoping to be able to intervene.

After reaching the pen, Troy tossed Clementine inside. "Clem!" Kenny called, announcing that she wasn't the one taken back. Looking up, she gasped and saw Luke, with bruises and a cut above his right eye. "Oh no," she said to herself. She then heard the door shut and turned to see Jeff had made it inside. _Hopefully, he has a Plan B,_ she thought, as she stood up to face Carver. "-and how is it that we get repaid?" he said, having been talking for a while. "With treachery? With deceit?" He then pulled a radio from his pocket, revealing that he discovered their plan. "Whatever you were planning...it's over. You can't just run from your problems. You can't just up and leave when the going gets tough… cause there's nowhere you can go, that it ain't. Tough it all we got, now. Get that through your thick skulls. Luke here can't help you now… you gotta help yourselves… help me find the strength to forgive you. You can start by telling me where the other one is. Now, I'm gonna count to three. If that radio ain't in my hand by then, we'll have to make things more difficult."

"One"

"We have to give it up," Clementine whispered to Kenny.

"Two"

"What?! Now way Clem, we can't-" Too late, Kenny realized she wasn't giving him a choice, as she walked up to Carver, radio in hand. Carver smiled, as she handed him the radio he had demanded be returned.

"Three"

SLAP!

With great force, Carver had slapped her across her face, knocking her down. Kenny and Jeff both moved to attack, only for Troy and Tavia to stop them, leaving them to glare at him. Carver then looked at Jeff. "Time to prove yourself, Jeff," he said, motioning for him to join him in front of Clementine. "Now, I want you to prove that you have what it takes to follow my orders, without question," he said. "Punish her, for me. Hit her a couple times, to remind her what her place is in this community." Jeff was appalled. HAd Carver really just ordered him to beat up the only friend he's had for two years? _Clem was right,_ he thought. _He is trying to turn us against each other._ "There's no time for thinking," Carver said, interrupting his thoughts. "Do it or I'll punish you myself, while Troy deals with her!" Jeff knew he was cornered, with no way out. Without a word, he balled up a fist and punched Clementine in the stomach, then swung again, knocking her to the ground. "One good kick outta finish it off nicely," Carver said, with a twisted smile. Still hurt by the unavoidable situation, Jeff took his right foot and kicked her in the back hard, then stepped back. He fought hard not to cry in front of Carver, knowing that he could still face the same treatment if he showed weakness. He had to be strong, in order to keep trying to help his group escape. "There with be no food for 24 hours," Carver said. "Maybe an empty stomach with help you learn. With that, he left, taking Tavia and Troy with him. Feeling safe to make his own choices again, Jeff tried to walk over to Clementine. Kenny was already there and glared at him, as he approached. "You stay back!" he demanded. "You're not going near her again. You've become one of Carver's mindless obedient and heartless drones and have no place with us anymore!" "Kenny!" Rebecca yelled. "No!" Kenny replied. "He's not one of us anymore." Hurt by the words, Jeff looked to Clementine for comfort. His eyes widened in horror when he recieved a look of fear from his long time friend. Broken, he left, without a word and tears in his eyes, as Carlos tended to Clementine's injuries.

Clementine was still in shock at how obedient Jeff and been, when Carver ordered her punishment, as Carlos and Bonnie helped her. Having heard what Carver had made Jeff do, Bonnie knew the time to act was approaching much faster than originally planned and had started helping with the preparations. "We need to leave tonight," Rebecca said. "Someone should let Jeff know, so we don't leave him behind." "Oh, we're leaving him behind," Kenny said. "That man doesn't deserve to be with us anymore." "Kenny!" Sarita said. "That's not nice! He's done more for Clementine than you ever did!" "But look what he did to her, the moment Carver demanded it!" he replied. "So?" Rebecca said. "He was forced to do it! You need to back off about it. Carver's upset him enough, you don't need to make it worse!" "We're not leaving him behind!" Mike declared. "We'll let Clem decide," Kenny replied. Everyone else knew that Kenny was in the wrong, but it was proving difficult to change his mind. Realizing they'd have to ignore him on the matter, they continued to work on the escape. Meanwhile, Jeff walked up to Carver's office, quietly. He was determined to help the group escape, despite what had happened, and knew the plans had to move forward. Quietly,he opened the door and entered. He approached the radio and turned the system on, then placed a CD in, when he found nothing in the player tray, and turned the outside speakers on. He heard Carver's people scrambling to stop him, so he acted fast and freed Alvin from his chair. Alvin immediately grabbed the gun hidden in Carver's desk drawer and followed him downstairs. Several guards ran toward them, with most getting shot in the leg, before they could get close. Realizing that only one of them would escape, Alvin made a choice. "Jeff, get out of here!" he ordered. "What? No way," Jeff replied. "I freed you to get you back to Rebecca." "We both know you need to get back to the group!" Alvin said. "I'll hold them off, now go!" With some hesitation, Jeff took off, as Alvin took out two guards, before being shot in his head. When he reached the loading dock, he found the others dealing with Carver, once again. "You wanna me, fine. You wanna throw away the life I'm trying to build for us, then fine! Wanna run off with this group of cripples, fine! But I will put a bullet in you and that baby before-" BANG! Carver's rant was cut off by the gunshot and his cry of pain, caused by a bullet to his right leg. Everyone gasped, then looked at Jeff. "No one messes with me or my friends, and gets away with it," he said, keeping his rifle on the man who had made their lives miserable. "So you finally got the courage to do what I expected," Carver said, with his signature smile. "After letting me boss you into doing what I wanted you to do, you-" BANG! Carver howled in pain as a second bullet found his stomach. "You're through doing the talking," Jeff declared. "It's our turn!" At that, Luke ran up and kicked Carver in the face, while Kenny repeatedly kicked his second wound. "How do you like being kicked while down, you psychopath?!" he said, as he stepped back. Luke shot Carver's left leg, to make sure he couldn't get up easy, then everyone left the room, as Carver shouted insults.

Outside, they remembered they still had to get through the herd that was now gathered around the building. Acting fast, Jane took done a walker, then cut it open, so they could begin the process of camouflaging themselves. Like many others, Sarah was disgusted by the idea. Despite being better prepared for the struggles the post-outbreak world would throw at her, she had the feeling of displeasure at having to cover herself in walker guts. "This is so gross!" she whispered. "It's gross, but necessary, for survival," Jane told her. Just then, Troy hurried out, shouting obscenities and questions about what they were doing, as his fellow guards shot at the herd, nearby. "Troy, we talked about this," Jane said, slowly approaching him. "We talked about getting you out of the pen," he replied. "Not this!" The two talked a little longer as walkers went around the others, oblivious to their presence, thanks to their plan. Finally, Troy and Jane were face to face. "We can leave here together," Jane said. "Where to?" Troy asked. "Anywhere we want," Jane replied. "Well, I-AAAAAHHH!" Troy's reply was cut off as Jane shot him in the gut. His cries of pain drew the walkers toward him, leaving an opening for the others to start working their way to freedom. Clementine kept herself close to Carlos and Sarah, just in case some of the latter's old self kicked in. "You're doing great, Sarah," Carlos whispered. "Just keep moving and we'll-" Carlos was cut off as a stray bullet hit his neck, taking him down. Sarah gasped, but refrained from calling out, despite the shock of what had just happened to her dad. "Keep going, Sarah," Carlos gasped. "Don't stop until you are certain you're safe. I love...you…" As the words escaped his lips, Carlos was attacked by walkers, ending his life. Sarah and Clementine returned their focus to the escape, but discovered that stopping when Carlos was shot was a very bad idea, as walkers began to notice them. Following her father's orders, Sarah took off for the first opening she saw, calling for Luke to help her get out of the herd. All alone, Clementine took the hatchet she had been given and cut down a few undead obstacles, as she tried to find her way out. Suddenly, she was grabbed by her wrist and dragged through the herd, with walkers trying and failing to attack her and her rescuer as they went. Finally, they were out of the herd, and saw that Jane and Rebecca had managed to escape, as well. She looked up and saw her rescuer had been none other than Jeff. Without time to think or speak, they quickly moved into the woods and made their way to Parker's Run, nearby.

 **Oh no! Carver's managed to cause trouble with the team! Will they be able to get past this? Wait and see!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Team Split**

An hour after their escape from the hardware store, Jane, Clementine, Jeff, and Rebecca were still walking. As they walked, Jeff tired many times to talk to Clementine, only for her to walk away and ignore him. "She's still sorting out everything that happened," Jane said. "Give her time and space and she'll come around." Jeff knew she was right, but also knew he couldn't stand seeing her like that for much longer. Finally, they reached the designated meeting point of Parker's Run, where Mike, Kenny, and Bonnie were already waiting. _Wait a minute,_ he thought. _Where's Luke, Sarah, and Sarita?_ Seeking answers, he walked up to the trio. "Hey, look who made it, finally," Mike said, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, we made it," Jeff said. "Where's Luke, Sarah, and Sarita?" "Luke and Sarah are MIA," Bonnie replied. "And Sarita…" "Kenny was forced to put her down, after several walkers bit her," Mike said, finishing for Bonnie. "Jane and I can go look for them, if they don't get back soon," Clementine offered. "Alright, then," Mike replied. Soon, Mike, Bonnie, Rebecca, and Jane were talking about what went wrong, while Clementine just looked toward the woods, hoping to see the rest of the group arrive. "Hey Clem, can you come here?" Kenny asked. Curious about what he wanted, she walked over to where he sat.

Once she reached Kenny, Clementine sat next to him. "What is it?" she asked. Kenny sighed. "I've been thinking about what happened back at Carver's," he said. "I think I made a mistake by yelling at him." He looked over to Jeff, who had isolated himself from the group. "Look at him. He's a mess...and it's my fault." "It's my fault, too," Clementine said. Kenny opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Rebecca. "Luke and Sarah are back!" she said. And she was right, as Luke and Sarah walked up, still covered in walker guts, but alive. Luke explained how they had sought shelter in an abandoned trailer park, then escaped through the roof of the one they had went into. "It wasn't easy," Luke said. "But we made it." "As long as you're alright, I'm happy," Rebecca said. Kenny and Clementine were just arriving when Rebecca suddenly cried out, as a wet spot formed underneath her, on the ground. "Does that mean what I think it does?" Luke asked, slightly panicked. "Yes it does," Rebecca replied. "We need to get somewhere safe," Kenny replied, as Jeff ran up. "What's going on?" he asked. "Rebecca's water broke!" Sarah replied. "We need a safe place for her to have the baby." "Especially with that problem coming at us," Mike added, pointing to the woods. There, alerted to the group's existence by Rebecca's cries, was a herd of walkers. "I saw an observation deck attached to a gift shop further back, while I was inspecting the grounds," Jane said. "That'll work fine," Kenny replied as he and Bonnie helped Rebecca walk. Jeff, Mike, and Luke covered the others as they hurried to the deck. Finally, they were all up, with little trouble. However, the walkers still knew how to climb stairs, which resulted in more gunfire from the defenders, while Bonnie and Kenny helped Rebecca get as comfortable as possible. "Luke!" Jeff called. "Let's move the cannon to block the gate!" "Good idea!" Luke replied, as he joined Jeff in moving the heavy weapon. They reached the gate, where they stopped...and heard a loud crack beneath them. "Not good," Mike noted. "No, it's not!" Jeff replied. Quickly, everyone moved clear of the deck, right as it collapsed. Jeff heard Clementine call out and ran to help her. As he reached her, found Luke trying to help Jane up, while Clementine was hanging onto the edge for dear life. He reached to pull her up, right as another hand reached out and grabbed her. Jeff looked on as Sarah and Mike helped her to safety. Then, they discovered a new problem: The deck hadn't completely collapsed and the walkers figured out they could climb up the part still hanging onto the building. "Will this ever end?" Luke asked. "We need to cut that cable, or loosen it. Something to drop the rest of the deck on the lurkers!" "Here, use this," Clementine said, handing him the hatchet she'd been using. "Mike, you're the tallest here," Jeff began. "Use that to knock the bolts holding the cable on the wall out, so the deck will drop." Mike took the hatchet and swung at the targeted spot on the wall multiple times, knocking the bolts loose, but not free. "Keep trying!" Luke said, as he shot several more walkers. "These things are stubborn," Mike replied. Finally, he managed to free the last bolt and the remaining section of the deck dropped, taking a few walkers with it. "Whew! Talk about a nail biter," Mike said. "That was way too close," Luke added. Just then, they heard a baby's cry in the gift shop and everyone looked to Rebecca. She was holding a baby boy, smiling as she held him. "Hello there, my handsome little boy," she said. "Not the best circumstances, but...welcome to the group, little guy," Kenny said, as he stood up, after helping with the birth. "Now that we know the baby's alright," Sarah began. "Can we finally get some rest?" Everyone agreed and settled in for the night.

Clementine woke up early the next morning to the sound of the group's newest addition crying, as his mother tried to calm him down. "Shhhh," Rebecca said, trying her hardest to quiet her son down. "It's okay. You're safe and sound. You have so many people to look after you...many of them did so before you were born, too." The new mother looked up as Clementine quietly approached. "Hey Clem," Rebecca said. "Now is he?" Clementine asked. "He's perfect," Rebecca replied. "He definitely looks like Alvin," Clementine replied. "I agree," Sarah said, as she sat down next to the other two, making Clementine jump. "Next time, warn me you're there, Sarah," she said. "Sorry," sarah replied. "How are you holding up, Sarah?" Rebecca asked. "Better than I thought I would," the teenager replied. "Still hard to think about my dad...but I'll be okay. Eventually." "That's the spirit," Rebecca replied. "It's hard to lose a loved one...an I speak from experience." "At least Alvin died helping us escape," Sarah said. Rebecca smiled at that comforting thought...then had an idea. "Want to hold him, Sarah?" She asked. "Sure," Sarah replied, carefully taking the baby. Seconds after being handed to Sarah, the baby began to fuss, concerning her. "It's okay," she said, trying to calm him down. "You're still near you mom. See?" Gently, she adjusted him, so he could see his mother, which calmed him down. "You're doing well, for a beginner," Rebecca said. "Maybe I'll get plenty of practice with him, to help me in a few years, when I may become a mother, myself," Sarah said, with a smile. Rebecca smiled back, then frowned, as she noticed something on the ground. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. Curious, both girls looked in the direction she was looking and saw Jeff down on the ground, packing a few items into a backpack he had swiped from Carver's community. "Is he packing to leave?" Sarah asked. "Looks that way," Rebecca replied. Knowing what had to be done, she looked to Clementine. "You should go talk to him," she told Clementine. "I don't know," Clementine said. "Kenny and I hurt him bad, with how we each reacted to what Carver made him do. I don't think he'll listen." "Only way to know is to try," Rebecca replied. "Yeah," Sarah said. "If you try, maybe he'll snap out of it." "If you pass this up, you may never get another chance," Rebecca added. Clementine thought it over. Would he listen? Would he let her talk to him? She knew that the only way to find out was to run down to him and try. Without another word, she got up, ran down the only stairs left, and hurried to her friend. "Jeff!" she called, as he put the backpack on his back. "Thought you were afraid of me," he said. "That's not true!" Clementine replied. "Kenny and I have seen how you've been since Carver's. We-" "Okay, before you go any further," he interrupted. "I think that incident at Howe's and the fact that Sarah and Mike saved you from falling, yesterday, are proof enough that my time as your protector is finished. It's time for me to move on." He turned back around and began to walk away, but Clementine wasn't done talking to him. "Even with the others here," she said. "You _have_ been there for me. When I ended up alone among the walkers, as we escaped Carver's place, _you_ dragged me through to safety. _You_ shot Carver, as revenge for all he made you do to me. I _need_ you, Jeff!" "I used to believe that, Clem," he said. "But that died at Carver's, when Kenny spat hate at me and you backed away, in fear of me. You used to need me...but not anymore." By now, the others had woken up and watched, from afar, wondering what would happen. Unaware of the audience, Jeff adjusted his bag, then looked back one last time. "Goodbye, Clementine," he said, then turned around and walked away, leaving Clementine on her knees and in tears. "Jeff!" she called, hoping he'd turn back. But he didn't turn. He didn't even show that he'd heard her. Clementine was a mess, as Luke and Kenny walked up, and watched him approach the woods. Luke tried his best to comfort her, but knew it was next to impossible, at the time. "I want to go back to the moment I said my hateful words and stop myself," Kenny said. "I knew we'd hurt him, but...I didn't know it was this bad." "Even in the age of the undead, words still hurt," Luke said. Kenny nodded in solemn agreement, as they all watched Jeff vanish into the woods.


	11. Chapter 10

**Healing**

After waiting five days, so Rebecca could rest, the group decided to move toward a town Clementine had spotted on the first day, in hopes of finding some supplies they desperately needed. They were exhausted and longed for the rest the town would provide. Clementine struggled with the cold air, lack of food, and the guilt of what had happened with Jeff, as they attacked her viciously. As they walked, she couldn't help but notice Rebecca was tiring faster than everyone else. "You okay, Rebecca?" she asked. "I'm Fine," Rebecca replied, weakly. "I can keep... going…" As she finished the sentence, she started to collapse, only for Bonnie and Mike to catch her. "Let's get you to that tire, over there," Mike told her. "You need rest more than we do." Carefully, they helped Rebecca sit down. The tire wasn't comfortable, but it was something for her to rest on. "I think it's time this little guy got a name," she admitted. "In honor of his daddy's bravery, I'll call him Alvin Junior." "Very fitting," Kenny said. " Little AJ. Like you said, his dad was brave. Sure helped Jeff out when…" He trailed off, at the mention of Jeff. Like Clementine, he too felt guilty at his departure. "Hello?" someone called, in the distance. Everyone looked the direction they had been heading and saw a teenager walking toward them. As he approached, the noticed he was wearing a leg brace on his right leg. "How has he survived with that leg being the way it is?" Kenny asked. "Hello," the teenager said. "You are nice people?" No one could miss his Russian accent, but knew he was trying to speak proper English. "Depends on if you are," Luke replied. "I just need help," the teen said. "My sister is sick and we have nothing to take care of her with. Add to that that others in our group...big trouble." As tough as it could be, at times, Kenny seemed to actually feel some sympathy for the kid. "We might be able to help, a little bit," he said. "Yeah, we'll help as much as we can," Mike added, solidifying the group's stance on the matter. "Thank you," the teen said. Suddenly, three figures walked out of the woods, guns in their hands and pointed right at them. "Now, hold on a minute!" Kenny said. "You just asked for help, and now this?" "I should've said something when I had the chance!" Jane said. She recognized the young woman now standing next to the young man. "You should recognize my sister," the teen said. "You tricked her to steal from us, a few days ago. Now we're returning the favor by taking your group's things." "Now hold on a minute!" Luke said. "No one has to rob anyone. If only one of us robbed you, by her own choice, why punish all of us?" "So you know she made mistake," the teen told him. He then spoke to his sister in Russian, followed by what seemed to be a joke from one of the two men with automatics. "We have a baby with us!" Clementine shouted. "Do you really want to do this to people who have a baby in their group?" "A baby?" The teen said, looking in shock at Alvin Jr, who was crying. He spoke to his allies in Russian, before speaking to them again. "Your things," he said. "Drop them and go. Now!" Clementine looked around, afraid for everyone in her group. Just then, she looked and saw Rebecca had slumped forward, partially over her child. _Good,_ she thought, _Rebecca's looking out for her son._ Suddenly, Rebecca started moving. Slowly getting up, she looked at everyone with undead eyes. _That's not good!_ Clementine thought, as the shouting match continued. She was about to open her mouth to say something, when Kenny noticed the new walker and shot her in the head, killing Rebecca before she could harm her son or anyone else. Thinking Kenny was shooting at them, Russians opened fire.

 _I made the biggest mistake of my life,_ Jeff thought as he slowly walked. He had gone back in the direction of Howe's Hardware, where a few walkers remained, and discovered that Carver was somehow still alive. Due to the rise in guilt and pain of his decision to leave, he took advantage of the opportunity and shot him in the head, before moving on. After spending a few days roaming the area, he had gone back to Parker's Run, only to find that the group had left. Since then, he felt remorse and guilt over his choice like he had never imagined possible. As he walked, he heard a noise. Looking around, he saw nothing and continued on. Soon, the noise came again, this time louder. "What on earth?" Jeff said to himself, as he moved toward the source. Soon, the noise becomes clearer, as gunshots and shouting are heard. Moving closer, Jeff could hear someone shouting in Russian...then he heard a familiar voice.

"Protect the baby!"

Kenny?

"Mike, I need help over here!"

Luke?

The next voice got his full attention, as all he heard was a cry for help. Fear gripped him. "Someone, help me!" Clementine! _No, no, no,_ he thought, He friend was in extreme danger and needed him. _I'm coming, Clem!_ He thought, as he broke into a full run.

This is insane! Clementine thought, as she sought refuge behind a wall, with AJ in her arms. She watched as the Russian siblings fired at her friends. Suddenly, the sister went down, causing her brother to stop shooting. Before he could tend to his sister, however, the teen was grabbed by Kenny, who held a gun to his head. "Stop shooting, or your buddy gets it!" Kenny yelled. Clementine watched, as the teen's friends shouted at Kenny in Russian, earning a demand for English from Kenny. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement from the sister. _Oh great,_ she thought. As the sister slowly got up, Clementine gasped. The girl was now a walker and moving toward her. Acting fast, she took her gun and shot the undead teen in the head, halting her in her tracks. "Noooo!" her brother shouted. He forced himself free from Kenny's grip and ran to her, in tears. "Natasha!" Dropping to his knees before his sister's body, he cried. Then, he turned his attention to Clementine, glaring at her. With a yell, he rushed at her, forcing her to run. He knocked her down, with AJ crying in her arms. "You killed my sister!" He yelled. "Someone, help me!" she cried. Kenny saw the situation and started to run to her...only for several bullets to just miss his head. Everyone else was either pinned down or in no shape to help, leaving her on her own. With AJ in her arms, self defense wasn't going to work and the teen had her pinned, with a gun to her face. "I'll kill you!" he said. "I'll kill you for killing my sister! You will suffer for- AAHH!" Clementine looked up and saw the teen on the ground, unconcious. _That was way to close!_ She thought. "Are you okay?" She froze, then looked up. There, before her, was Jeff, reaching a hand toward her, as the others gathered around.

Was she dreaming? Was he really back? Clementine's mind was spinning with questions, as she was helped up. Kenny offered to take AJ, while she and Jeff talked...if there was any conversation made. "Are you okay, Clem?" Jeff repeated. _So he really is here,_ she thought. "Yeah," she said. I'm okay." "Good," Jeff said. Without another word, he picked up his rifle and bag and began to walk away, yet again. She stood there for several seconds, as he walked away, but couldn't stand to see him run off again. "Jeff!" she called. He stopped. "What Clem?" he asked. "Please don't leave, again," she said. Jeff sighed. "You don't need me anymore," he said. "I came back to help, and now I'm in the wind again." A tear escaped Clementine's eye as she watched him resume his walking pace. "You don't believe that," she called, making him stop again. "Don't believe what?" he asked. "You don't believe that I don't need you," she replied. "You proved yourself wrong by coming back and saving my life, again." Jeff turned halfway around and looked at her. "Had I not been here, you would've been fine," he said. "This is a tough group and someone would've made it to you. I know at least two of them would give their lives, to see you live." He started to turn back around, again. Clementine couldn't belive how stubborn he was being in the situation. "I'm sorry!" She called, as he tried a third time to leave. This made him stop, again. "I'm sorry for how I reacted at Carver's," she continued. "I-I can't lose you again. When you made me the offer to tag along with you, outside Savannah, I was afraid. But you taught me to defend myself, and took care of me when I was sick. You've saved my life many times. You got revenge on Carver for what he made you do to me. Even after that, you protected me and saved my 're like family to me. We're a team, and… I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing I threw that away." The tears came in full force, as she finished speaking. Jeff slowly walked up to her and sat on the wall, next to them. "You're right," he said, looking at her. "You're right. We've had each other's backs since that first night we were together. We had everything going right, until Carver messed it up. I-I can't let him win. I can't...keep going, knowing I hurt you by leaving." A tear ran down his face, as he began to see how wrong he had been to take off, instead of listening to her. "I forgive you...if you can forgive a stubborn fool for not listening to you," she said. Her response came in the form of a hug. "I forgive you," she said. As Jeff stood back up, she had one last question for him. "Are you staying?" she asked. "Yes," he said. "I'm staying. We're a team, right?" This earned another hug, as everyone around them cheered and smiled. "Right," she said. The happy moment came to an end, as they heard the teenage boy waking up from the hit to his head. Jeff dragged him to his feet. "Give me a good reason to not kill you where you stand!" he demanded. The young man's response was to spit at him, as he glared. "Be thankful I'm not a cold-blooded killer," Jeff said. "Or I would've made sure you would've never woke up." Moving fast, Kenny tied the young man's hands together. "What will you do with me?" he asked. "Very tempting to just leave you here," Kenny said. "Unless you can prove helpful." "There is a house, some distance from here," the young man said. "There are supplies and food." Kenny was skeptical, but everyone else decided it was worth the effort to try. They gathered around where Rebecca's body still was and said their goodbyes, along with a promise to look after her son. They then set their sights on finding out if the house was real.


	12. Chapter 11

**Not Out Of Trouble Yet**

They had been walking for several hours when they decided to rest for a little while. Everyone found places to sit and relaxed, with the exception of the young man, whose name was Arvo. Not wanting to stop, he kept going, until Jeff stepped in his way. "You're not going anywhere when we're not moving," he said. "Don't add another strike to the list. Besides, I'm sure you're tired like we are." Realizing Jeff was right, Arvo sat down, not far from the others. As Jeff walked away, Mike went over to talk to the teenager. Jeff found a log to sit on and relaxed, as Kenny walked over to him. "Hey Kenny," he said. "Hey," Kenny replied. "Look...I'm sorry for my actions back at Howe's. I was angry at Carver and...you were the one who walked up, so I just let the rage fly. I have the unfortunate tendency to do that, so...if you see me start it up again, let me know." "I sure will," Jeff said. "And I forgive you." "Thanks," Kenny replied, with a smile. As they talked, Clementine walked up and sat beside Jeff. "How are you feeling?" he asked her. "Like I got beat up," she replied sarcastically. "Who did it?" Jeff replied with sarcasm. "I'll beat 'em up for you, to get back at them." He then lightly slapped his hand and made a slow motion punch to his jaw, making his friends smile, knowing that he wasn't thinking negatively anymore. After resting for about fifteen minutes, they continued on, with Kenny taking his turn keeping an eye on Arvo. As they walked, Bonnie moved next to him, with AJ in her arms. "I know you're feeling better," she said. "But how about something else to cheer you up more?" "Like what?" Jeff replied. Without another word, Bonnie carefully placed AJ in his arms and backed up. The infant looked at him, with a calm look on his little face, as Jeff's heart melted. "Been a while since I held a baby," he said, as they continued to walk. "Did you ever have a chance to have a family before this?" Bonnie asked. Jeff looked at AJ, and just frowned. "I never got the chance," he said. "I have a girlfriend, but she broke up with me before the outbreak, because she wanted to date a football player at our college. Turned out to be the wrong choice, as they were among the first I found turned after the outbreak." "Ouch," Mike said, from nearby. "Even if I never have a family," Jeff continued. "I'll be happy I got to hold this handsome kid." As if understanding the compliment, AJ cooed and smiled, as they continued on.

As the sunlight began to fade, they reached an old power station, with a fence around it. After inspecting it make sure it was secure, they went inside to rest for the night. Despite his frustration toward Arvo for not being honest about the distance to the house, Kenny was glad they had at least made it as far as they had. Even so, he still took a precaution and tied Arvo to a stand, not far from where they had started a fire, to keep him from running off. "I know it's meant to keep him from running off," Mike said. "But was tying him up necessary?" "It is, for now," Jeff replied. There was silence for a minute, then Luke spoke up. "It's my birthday," he said. "How do you know?" Bonnie asked. "I somehow can still keep track of the dates," Luke said. "Don't ask me how, but I just know." "Well, in that case," Bonnie began, while reaching into her bag. What she pulled out was an unopened bottle of rum. "I swiped this from Carver's and was saving it for a special occasion. Since it's Luke's birthday, I'd say that's special enough." Every adult took a sip, making toasts to lost friends and family. When Jeff was offered, however, he politely declined. "Someone has to keep sober for the kids," eff said, as he looked at Clementine and Sarah. "I respect that," Mike said. "But no one's driving a car, right now." "It's not the driving I'm worried about," Jeff replied. Just then, Kenny walked up, taking a break from first watch, to join the small celebration. "I know what it is," he said. "Someone's gotta be able to keep an eye on the kids." Everyone agreed, then Luke spoke up again. "Speaking of kids," he began. "Mind telling us about your son, Kenny? I know it's a tough subject, but maybe there's a happy memory in there somewhere." Kenny smiled. "Come to think of it," he said. "There is one thing I liked about my boy. Duck always liked Batman, so he liked to help out and say whoever he was helping was Batman and he was Robin. The most memorable was the last time he would ever do it. Clem knows this one." "I don't mean to be rude," Luke interrupted. "But, why call him 'Duck'?" "He tended to talk a lot," Kenny said. "Sometimes, he'd talk ing such a way that he'd almost quack." Everyone laughed a little, before Kenny continued. "Lee, the guy who looked after Clem before Jeff, was tasked with finding out who had been stealing supplies from our group. Duck had overheard and offered- no, begged to help. Lee let him, though he had his doubts, because Duck was too eager to help. After a while, they both found the needed evidence and the thief was stopped, but not immediately identified. Soon after…" Kenny trailed off, remembering the fateful events that followed. "Kenny?" Jeff said, worried for his friend. "I'm sorry," Kenny replied, wiping a tear away. "It's just...hard to think about the next part." There was silence for a minute, then Clementine spoke up. "What happened afterward," she began. "Was a big mess. Turns out the thefts were to keep bandits away from us. So, when the pick ups stopped coming, the bandits attacked. In the madness, walkers came and Duck was bitten in the chaos. We didn't learn until hours after we had escaped. Kenny tried to brush it off, in hopes we were wrong. Eventually, he did turn, which wasn't prevented, because Lee couldn't convince Kenny to stop the train we had taken to Savannah. In the madness, Kenny's wife, a high schooler who had been in the group, Lee, and myself were attacked, and knocked out of the train. Though I wasn't bitten, I had hurt my leg in the fall." She paused, seeing everyone saddened by the story's ending. "That's why Kenny is so upset when Duck is mentioned." "That's horrible," Mike said. "Yeah," Kenny replied. "I'd give anything to go back and stop either disaster that made everything go so wrong...but I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything. I know to not take bites lightly and I look after my friends better. I won't let anyone else encounter an event like that." "So Clem," Jane said. "How'd you meet Jeff?" For the next ten minutes, Clementine caught everyone up on how she and Jeff met, how they survived for two years, and how that had made even the toughest of situations worth fighting through. Afterward, Mike went to offer Arvo some rum, which he accepted, though he had initially declined. Jeff overheard the two talking and it had him wondering. "Hey Clem," he whispered. "Yeah?" she replied. "I think we may see Arvo come around and join us, despite all that's happened," he said. "Maybe," she replied. "Or this could be the beginning of a group split he's a big part of." "we'll have to wait and see," Jeff said, returning his attention to the conversation around them. Eventually, everyone grew tired, so they settled down for the night and fell asleep.

The next day, they were finally approaching the house Arvo had been leading them toward. There was just one problem: A large frozen lake was in their path. "You failed to mention this," Avro," Kenny said, showing frustration. "Risky to go around," Mike said. "Is okay," Arvo said. "Ice is thick enough to walk across." "You better be right about this, kid," Jeff said, giving him a look of warning. "Alright," Jane said. "If we're going to do this, spread out, so the ice doesn't cave in as soon as we step on it." "Good idea," Jeff replied. So they spread out and very carefully made their way across the ice covered lake, with Kenny not far behind Arvo, just in case he tried to run. Everything went smoothly, for the first several yards, making everyone believe Arvo was right. However, they soon heard the all-too-familiar sound of walkers, as Sarah looked back and saw them on the shore, making an effort to cross. "Guys, we need to hurry," she said, with urgency. Everyone picked up a bit of speed to get across, but not risk the ice breaking from the stress of the sudden movement. As they went, two walkers fell through, but one had its sights set on taking down Luke. "Luke!" Bonnie called, bringing his attention to the walker. Luke grabbed his gun and aimed to shoot his pursuer...only to find his gun was empty. Without any other options, he turned around, ready to fight the walker off. As the walker got closer, he readied himself for the end, knowing he could only fight off so many of the things before they took him down. BEfore the walker reached him, however, Sarah ran in front of him, and the walker bit her instead. Luke was in shock as the walker dragged her down, being joined by another. As they fell, the ice beneath them caved in and the walkers and their victim fell into the icy water. "Sarah!" Clementine called, as she ran to save her friend. Luke, however, grabbed her, before she could reach the hole where she had fallen in. "If you go, her sacrifice will mean nothing, now let's keep moving," he said. So Clementine continued walking, despite the upsetting situation. To make matters worse, one step resulted in the ice cracking beneath her. "Clem!" Jeff called as he started to move toward her. However, before he could do anything, Luke shoved her clear, as the ice gave way and he fell in. "Luke!" Bonnie and Clementine called. Moving quickly, Jane reached her hand into the freezing cold water to pull him out. She managed to grab onto his hand and began to pull him up, but one of the walkers that had killed Sarah had managed to find him and began to drag him down. Jane, Clementine, and Bonnie all tried to pull him up, but he was losing strength and motioned for them to leave him. They refused and tried one last time, until more walkers got a little too close for comfort, forcing them to abandon the effort. "We're almost there!" Kenny called, as they cautiously picked up the pace. Suddenly, Clementine found a weak spot and fell through the ice, near the edge of the lake. "No!" Jeff called. Not wanting to lose his friend, he quickly pulled her out of the water and carried her to the house.

Once everyone was inside, Jane and Mike sorted out starting a fire in the fireplace, which was complete, thankfully. While they waited, Jeff took his coat off and put it around his shivering friend. "Th-thanks," Clementine said, through the chill. "You're welcome," he replied. Finally, they got a fire going and Clementine began to feel warmer almost immediately. Satisfied that she was no longer in danger, he turned his attention to Arvo. Walking up to where the teenage had been tied up, he glared at him. "You're little shortcut cost us TWO people," he said. "That's STRIKE TWO. I could just make it strike three, but I'm willing to give you one more chance." "F*** you!" Arvo replied. Unphased, Jeff walked away and returned to the fireplace. Kenny had gone back outside to see if the truck he'd noticed had worked, while Jane reluctantly tried to look after AJ, so that left Jeff with time to kill. As he sat next to Clementine, he watched Mike walk over to Avro and talk to him again, but didn't pay much attention to it"We're getting closer to Wellington, but I don't know if everyone else is up for trying to get there." he said. "We need to figure out what we're doing. What do you think?" "I think we should try to get there," she replied. "It's supposed to be safe there, and with AJ, we really need someplace safe for him." "Agreed," Jeff said. "I-" "Yes!" Kenny shouted, interrupting him. "It works!" With that, everyone hurried outside, where they gathered around the truck. "This thing works?" Mike asked. "About time something went our way!" "Amen to that!" Jeff replied. "Now we can try to get to Wellington and hope it's really there." "Man, you still think that place is real?" Mike asked. "It's worth a shot," Kenny said. "Real or not, if we can keep this thing running, we'll be fine for the winter, when it comes to travelling." "I suppose you have a point there," Mike replied. "But what about Arvo?" "Oh, the Russian?" Kenny said. "Yeah, he ain't coming with us." "How can you be like that, Kenny?" Mike asked. "He's cost us two people," Jeff said. "Plus he tried to kill Clementine. He may only have two strikes, in my book, but I can't risk anymore lives by keeping him around." "You and your strike system!" Mike replied. "Why are you even using that? Arvo's harmless." "Sounds to me like he's manipulated you," Jeff replied, accusingly. Mike didn't like that and made a move to hit Jeff, only for Clementine to get in the way. "Calm down, Mike," she said. "We're all tired from the last couple of days. Maybe a good night's rest will help clear our heads, and we can talk about this more in the morning. "Fine by me," Jeff said, as they went back inside for the night. 

**Well, readers, the end is nearing. I have teo more PLANNED chapters and an epilogue, but that can change at any time. For now, have a good day.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Strike Three**

Clementine woke up slowly the next morning, as a tapping noise could be heard on the window she was near. Concerned, she quietly grabbed her gun and coat and cautiously went outside to see what was making the noise. Once outside, she found that a loose wire dangling on the side of the building was the source of the noise she had heard. Relieved it wasn't a danger, she started to go back inside, but stopped when she saw Mike, Bonnie, and Arvo working around the truck. Unsure of what they were doing, she pulled out her gun and cautiously moved toward them. Mike heard her and turned around, surprised to see her. "Clementine!" he said in surprise. "What's going on?" she asked. "We,uh, have to get out of here," Mike replied. "Jeff's gotten a bit crazy, when it came to Arvo." "So you're siding with the one responsible for Luke and Sarah falling in the ice?" Clementine asked, as Bonnie walked up. "Clementine," she said. "It's nothing personal. We know Jeff wasn't going crazy, but the fact that he wanted to leave Avro to freeze to death doesn't sit well with us. So we're leaving." "What about AJ?" Clementine asked. "We thought about taking him with us," Mike replied. "But we know you guys would be after us for that. But, if you want, you can come with us. If not, we need you to go inside and forget you saw us leaving." "You know I won't leave Jeff, after all we've been through," Clementine replied, while keeping her weapon pointed at them. "Can you at least put your gun down?" he asked. "We can talk about this in a civil manner." Reluctantly, Clementine lowered her weapon, making Mike smile. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out and Clementine cried out in pain. "Clementine!" Mike yelled. Turning back, he saw Arvo holding his rifle, with smoke coming out of it. The pain in her side was overwhelming as Clementine fell to the ground. "What's going on out there?!" Jeff called, as he ran out. He looked down and jumped when he saw the sight. "Clem!" he cried. Looking up, he glared at Arvo and shot him in the chest. "Strike three!" he said, as the teen dropped to the ground. Next to him, he heard another gun go off as Kenny shot the wounded teen in his head, killing him instantly. "About time I got to kill that kid," Kenny said, before chasing after the fleeing Mike and Bonnie. Clementine could feel herself losing consciousness, as Jeff ran to her. "Clem!" he said, in a panic. "Clem! Can you hear me?" The words echoed as the blackness overcame her. 

**Hi, again! Sorry if the chapter is too short. I just wanted to keep this well known, but altered, scene as it's own part, setting up for the ending, which is approaching faster than I expected. Two more chapters and an epilogue and this one's complete. Please tell me what you think, so far.**


	14. Chapter 13

**What's Left**

 _Clementine_

Clementine opened her eyes and, to her surprise, saw Lee standing before her. "Lee?" she said, in surprise. "Hey sweet pea," he replied. She looked around and saw she was back at her house, which looked like it had before the outbreak began. "How have you been?" he finally asked, breaking the silence. "It's not been easy, the last few years," she replied. "But I managed to find someone who taught me how to protect myself and survive." "That's good," Lee replied. "If not for that event on the train, I would've taught you myself, but...at least you're not alone in the world, with the mess it's in. I'm so proud of you...and I know your parents would be, too." This made her smile. She missed her parents and all the friends she'd made since the outbreak began, but at least she could take comfort in knowing she was still alive. Then, she remembered the events that brought her to the conversation. "Lee," she began. "I'm only her because I was shot in my side, by this Russian teen, because of a misunderstanding. I don't think I'll make it." Lee looked at her and smiled again, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You won't die, sweet pea," he said. "It's not your time, yet. Go back to your friend. He needs you." He paused, as he began to fade away. "Never forget that I'm proud of you. I always will be." The words echoed as everything around her faded away.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, with the dream still fresh on her mind. It took her a few seconds, but she finally realized that she was in the truck and they were on the move. She felt an arm around her and slowly looked up to find Jeff had been holding her. "Hey," he said, quietly. "About time you woke up." "Where are we?" she asked. "Not sure exactly," he replied. "But we're a long distance from that house." "How long was I out?" she asked. "About two days," Kenny replied, from the driver's seat. "I'm glad you're awake, now, Clem. We almost lost you, at first." "Good thing Jeff knows how to deal with gunshot wounds," Jane added. "Otherwise, you would've definitely died." What Jane said made her realize that she had almost been right in her dream, but she was relieved that she hadn't been. "Did you dream about Lee?" Jeff asked. She nodded. "How did you know?" she asked. "You mumbled his name a few times, while you were out," Jeff replied. "I'm so happy you're still around." He then wrapped his arms her and hugged her gently, reminding her of how close a friendship they had. Their happy moment was ruined, however, when Jane and Kenny began to argue about where to go. "We need to get to Wellington," Kenny said. "Why are we trying to find a place that doesn't exist?" Jane asked. "Here we go again," Jeff said. "They've been arguing off and on, since you were shot, about where to go." As he finished, the swear words began to fly in the escalating argument up front. "Both of you, stop it!" Clementine yelled, in an effort to defuse the situation. "I won't stop until this woman admits that we should at least try to find Wellington!" Kenny yelled. "Our best option is to return to Howe's, and clean up the mess we left and stay there," Jane replied. "F*** that!" Kenny said. "Wellington is our best bet! We- WHOA!" Kenny's rant was interrupted when he nearly crashed into a cluster of abandoned cars, narrowly avoiding them. The truck spun, then somehow made it to the side of the road, without damage or injury to its passengers. "Everyone alright?" Jane asked. "Yeah," Jeff replied. "You guys stay here," Kenny said. I'll check for damage, then go see if those cars have gas we can use." Everyone agreed and Kenny got out of the truck, inspected it, then went in search of gas, satisfied that the truck was still drivable. "Ok, he's gone," Jane said. "We need to leave while he's gone." "What? No way!" Clementine replied. "Clem, he may be fine now, but he'll eventually snap," Jane said. "I've seen that before. A man gets mad for a while, calms down, then gets mad again. Eventually, the man I'm referring to did snap and made the mistake of killing his wife, when she tried to stop him. I don't want Kenny to end up killing any of us, when he cares about at least you and AJ, Clem." Jeff was about to reply when he saw something approach the truck. "Look out!" he called, as a walker slammed into the side of the truck. He hurried to the front seat and started the truck, then hit the gas and hurried away. They didn't get far, however, as a car appeared too late for Jeff to react and they crashed into it. Jeff groaned in pain, as he realized his right leg had been injured in the crash. "You okay, Clem?" he asked. "I think so," she replied. "But where are Jane and AJ?" "I don't know," he said, looking around. Carefully, they both got out of the truck and tried to look for any of their companions. "I don't see anyone," Clementine said, sounding worried. "It's just us." "This isn't good," Jeff said. "We need to find them, but we can't risk losing each other." He paused and looked at her. "Clem, if we do get separated, we shouldn't give up until we find each other again. We're a team. And when a team is split up, by no choice of their own, they do what they can to get back together." "Right," she replied. "Let's get to our search." Jeff nodded and they headed into the snowstorm.

They had been searching in the snow and wind for several minutes when Jeff heard a sound. "Do you hear that?" he asked. Clementine tired to hear over the wind, and finally heard something that didn't sound like anything they had already been hearing. "I think so," she replied. Slowly, they moved toward the sound, until it became like a cry in the wind. _Please tell me that's Jane and AJ,_ Clementine thought. Finally, they reached another abandoned car and looked inside. To their shock, AJ was in the back seat, all alone. "Oh AJ, you poor little guy!" Jeff said, carefully picking the infant up. "What are you doing in here alone?" As soon as he asked the question, the answer hit him like a snowball to the face. "Jane." "What?" Clementine asked. "Jane did this," Jeff replied. "She left him and went to find Kenny. I bet she did this to prove a point, by making him snap, thinking AJ's dead." Acting fast, they run toward the nearby rest stop, as the snow began to let up. Finally, they reached the building, where they heard Kenny and Jane yelling. "Where's AJ and Clem?" Kenny shouted. "I-I'm sorry," Jane said. "I tried to save them, but a walker got em." This, of course, was a lie, but Kenny didn't know that. _Wait- If she wants to prove a point, why is she letting him think AJ and Clem are BOTH dead?_ Jeff thought. "And you didn't do ANYTHING the save them?" Kenny replied, glaring at Jane. Before the others knew it, they began to fight. "I'll kill you for getting the kids killed!" Kenny declared, knocking Jane outside. They tumbled around the abandoned playground, just outside the building, as Jeff and Clementine tried to figure out how to stop them. Finally, Jeff handed AJ to her and then dragged Kenny to his feet, holding him back as he tried to get after Jane again. "Let go!" He yelled. "She got Alvie and Clem killed!" "Kenny!" Clem yelled. "We're alive!" Kenny stopped and turned around, as Jeff released him. "Clementine? You're alive?" he said. "And AJ too? But, Jane said-" Then, it hit him. She had lied to him and almost succeeded in proving the point she had been trying to make. Anger rose inside of him like never before as he turned to glare at Jane. "You- you- You lied to me!" he yelled. "You tried to ruin my life! I'll kill you for that!" He charged, but Jeff stopped him. "Kenny, killing her will still prove her right!" he said. "You need to think! Clem and AJ are alive, so there's no need to attack her, anymore." After a few seconds, Kenny sighed, realizing he was right. "What do we do, then?" he asked. Jeff looked at Kenny, the kids, then Jane. "You're not welcome with us, anymore, Jane," he said. "You're a danger to us. Especially to Clem and AJ. So get out of here. Leave, before I let Kenny get what he wants." Jane just stared at them. "I'll go," she said, after a minute. "But, if I'm proven right, don't come crying to me." With that, she turned and walked into the next wave of heavy snow. Satisfied that she was out of their lives, they made their way to the truck, which was still drivable, despite heavy damage, and made their way to Wellington.

And that's it for Jane! I chose to leave her alive, but permanently out of the picture, because I knew there had to be a way for Kenny and Jane to both live, yet only Kenny stay with the little group. Hope you enjoyed this chapterJust one more and the epilogue and this story will be all wrapped up!


	15. Chapter 14

**Shattered Hope**

 **Two Weeks Later:**

The snow had finally begun to melt and that made Jeff happy, as they reached a hill. "Hey, guys," he said. "How about a little race to the top of the hill?" "You're on," Kenny said, with a smile. "Come on Clem!" The two men took off running, while Clementine tried her best to keep up. When they reached the top of the hill, they stopped and saw Clementine slowly make it to the top, carrying AJ. "You know," she said. "Racing a girl with injuries that aren't fully healed yet and carrying a baby is _completely_ unfair." "Aw, poor girl," Jeff said, with a smirk. "Could've tried," Kenny added, with a teasing smile. Clementine just stuck her tongue out at them, in response. "Now, Clementine," Jeff said, with a mocking tone. "What did we say about that kind of behavior?" Clementine rolled her eyes as Jeff smirked again. After climbing another hill, they spotted their goal, straight ahead. Wellington stood before them, as real as they had hoped it would be. "I bet Jane would feel really bad for doubting us,right now," Kenny said. "She's not here," Jeff reminded him. "She doubted us, so it's her loss. More room for us, as a result." They hurried toward the long desired safety with an excitement they hadn't felt in a long time. _BANG!_ Everyone stopped, as a bullet embedded itself into the dirt, next to Jeff. "What the-" he said, is surprise.

"That's far enough. Drop your weapons."

Everyone put down whatever weapons they had.

"Approach the gate."

Slowly, they approached the gate, worried they made a mistake. As they approached, they heard the woman guarding the gate talk about them into a radio, stating that she thought they were harmless. "Hi," she said to them. "I'm Edith." "I'm Kenny," Kenny said. "The girl is Clementine and the young man's name is Jeff." "Hello," Edith replied. Then, she noticed AJ in in Clementine's arms. "Aww, what a handsome boy! What's his name?" "Alvin Junior," Jeff replied. "Named for his dad, who… didn't make it. We've been looking after him, as we're all that's left of our group." "So," Kenny began. "This is Wellington, right?" "That's what a lot of people call it," Edith replied. "So, what do we do to get in?" Kenny asked. "Well," Edith began. "This is the part where I give you the bad news." Jeff felt like he'd been smacked, just hearing those words. "We're over capacity, so we can't take any new members inside." _That stings worse than when those bandits shot me,_ Jeff thought, as Edith dropped two bags of supplies for them. "Inside the bags are all the things you'll need to keep going, until you find someplace safe," she said. "I hate doing this to you, but… maybe things will change in a few months." "That's a long time to wander around, hoping for a vacancy," Jeff said, as he turned to his friends. "Maybe we should try Indiana, after all." "You got people there?" Edith asked. Jeff returned his gaze to her. "That's what I'm hoping to find out, once we get there," he said. "I haven't been to my home state, since before this all began." "Oh, that's terrible," she replied. Just then, Kenny stepped forward. "Is it possible to just take in AJ and Clementine?" he asked. "I can check," Edith replied, before vanishing inside. Kenny turned to Clementine. "If they'll take you kids," he began. "I want you to go, without question, you hear? You'll be safe insi-" "No!" Clementine interrupted. "I won't go. I can't leave you guys, after all we've been through!" "Clem, this is a safe place to be," Jeff said. "I don't want to split up the team, but you'll be safe here." Before Clementine could reply, Edith returned, with tears in her eyes. "Well, I tried to get them to accept the kids," she said. "But they said we just can't. I'm sorry." Jeff looked at Kenny, who was looking at the ground. He really wanted the kids to be safe, but had his best chance yanked out from under him. "Kenny," he said. "We can keep going. If there's a safe place in Indiana, we can stay there. Wellington can't be the only safe haven out there. Besides, the kids have us to protect them." Kenny smiled at this and cheered up. "Alright," he said. Gathering their supplies, they turned to walk away. "Good luck out there," Edith called, as they went. "I hope you find what you're looking for." Jeff smiled and waved goodbye as they headed in the direction of his home state.


	16. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

 **Three Months Later:**

The scene was quite eerie, as Jeff lead his little group into the outskirts of his hometown. He was saddened to see just how car it had fallen, since the outbreak began. As they walked south, into the city, they saw a sign that made him smile, thinking of happier times: Peru, Indiana "The Circus City". "Bet this city was a lot of fun, back in the days before this mess," Kenny said. "There were ups and downs, like any town," Jeff said. "But the Circus City Festival was something you couldn't miss, if you loved circuses. How I wish I could go back to that." As they walked along the old two-lane highway, they came across a rail yard, with several full-length trains. "Look at that," Kenny said. "And I thought one train, derailed, was bad." "Waiting for crews that will never come," Jeff said. "This line wasn't one of the most active in the nation, but it had its moments." "Maybe we could take one of the locomotives and ride it out of here, if needed," Clementine noted. "Which way does this line go?" "Northeast, to Detroit and Southwest to St. Louis and Kansas City," Jeff replied. "Doubt Detroit will be much good. Was bad before the outbreak, to begin with." "Maybe St. Louis or Kansas City will offer something worthwhile," Kenny commented. Jeff and Clementine agreed, as they moved on.

After passing dozens of eerie scenes throughout parts of the city, they eventually came across an overgrown empty space, on the south side. "Wonder if anything was was here," Clementine said. Jeff looked around. He hadn't seen his hometown, since the outbreak, and had to re-acquaint himself with the area, especially with all the mess left in the chaos. Finally, he found what he was looking for. "This was a rail yard, until the 80s," he said. "If you look along the south side of the property, you'll see old radio poles. And, if you were to look online at satellite images, you'd see where there used to be a roundhouse." "Not like we have access to the latter, Jeff," Kenny said. "But I get your point. Guess it's good that this was abandoned long before this all began. Would make an already eerie feeling worse for some." With this in mind, they continued on, following Jeff's lead. Jeff shuddered at the sight of all the bodies lying in the streets of his old neighborhood. Men, women, children...all people he had come to know and it was heartbreaking. Finally, they reached his old street and carefully worked toward his old home, taking out the few walkers left in the area. Finding his house, he carefully pulled out his gun. "You sure you're up for this?" Kenny asked, as he, Clementine, and AJ stayed back. "I have to know, Kenny," Jeff replied. "I'm scared to know, but I need closure." Without another word, he carefully opened the front door and walked in. He looked around the living room, the kitchen, and his dad's small office and found them empty. Moving on, he checked his old room, which had been converted into spare bedroom, and found it empty, along with the bathroom. _One last room to check,_ he thought, as he nervously moved to the end of the hallway. He reached the door of his parent's bedroom, which was partially open, and carefully opened it the rest of the way, without looking in. His heart pounded as he gathered up the courage to do it. Finally, he walked in and gasped. His fears had been confirmed: There, side-by-side, were his parents, long dead. Jeff's legs gave way and he dropped to his knees in agonizing sorrow, as the tears fell freely. Kenny and Clementine walked in and saw the sad sight before them, immediately feeling bad their friend. "They're gone. Really gone," Jeff said, through the tears. "I always had this feeling...but to see it's true… I'm alone." His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he was immediately wrapped in a hug from Clementine. "You're not alone," she said, as the hug ended. "You've had me with you for a few years, and now you have AJ and Kenny, too." Wiping tears away, Jeff smiled at her. "Thanks, Clem," he said, as he stood up. After a few minutes, Kenny offered to help Jeff bury his parents in the back yard. It was difficult, but they managed to get the job done. After a final farewell, Jeff checked his old home, one last time. In his old bedroom, he found a letter for him, from his parents. Carefully, he put it in his pocket to read another time, then rejoined his friends outside. Once there, he had to smile, as AJ's curiosity almost cost Kenny part of his beard. "Oh no you don't, Alvie," Kenny said, carefully moving the little boy's had away, while Jeff and Clementine laughed. As they began to leave, they heard a voice. "Hello?" Looking around, they were a bit concerned that they had been found by bandits. "Where are you?" Jeff called. "Come out, where we can see you!" Jeff raised his gun, as he heard noises, in the nearby bushes. To his shock, a young girl carefully stepped out, trembling in fear (and likely hunger). Lowering his gun, he was shocked to find that he recognized her. "Abby?" he said. The little girl's face went from one of fear to relief, as she started running to him. "Jeff!" she cried, as she practically knocked him down. Once the girl released him, he lowered himself to her eye level. "How are you still alive?" he asked. "My parents and I managed to get out of town for a while," Abby began. "Then we came back and found ways to keep those things from getting us." She paused, tearing up. "U-until last week. Those things finally got mommy and daddy." She then burst into tears and cried on his shoulder. "Shhhh. It's okay. I'm here for you," he said, comforting her. After a few minutes, she calmed down and he looked at her. "You can come with us," he said, smiling. "How about that?" "O-okay," she replied. "At least I won't be alone, anymore." "There's no way we'd leave you here," Jeff said. "We're a team," Clementine added. "We look after each other and no one is alone." "I like that," Abby replied, as she smiled at her friend and former neighbor. Picking the tired little girl up, Jeff lead the way, as they began walking east, where new adventures were waiting.

 **Characters and Their Fates (In order of last appearance):**

Pete… Died in Chapter 4, after walkers attacked him. Shot in the head by Clementine, to prevent reanimation.

Nick… Died in Chapter 4, after walkers attacked him. Shot in the head by Jeff, to prevent reanimation.

Matthew… Died in Chapter 5, do to a gun misfire. Stabbed in the head by Jeff, to prevent re-animation.

Johnny… Shot in the head by Kenny in Chapter 5.

Walter… Shot in the head, point blank, by Carver, in retaliation for Johnny's death.

Reggie… pushed of the roof of Howe's to his death by Carver.

Reanimation status Unknown.

Troy… Shot in the gut by Jane, then left to be eaten by walkers. Reanimation status Unknown.

Carver… Shot twice and left for dead, in Chapter 8. Is later shot in the head by Jeff, though, the incident is only mentioned as a memory for Jeff, in chapter 10.

Carlos… Shot in the head by a stray bullet, during the group's escape from Howe's, in Chapter 8.

Natasha… Shot and killed during a gunfight with the group. Reanimated, then shot in the head by Clementine.

Buricko… Shot in the head during gunfight with the group, in Chapter 10.

Vitali… Shot in the head during gunfight with the group, in Chapter 10.

Sarah… Died sacrificing herself to save Luke from walkers, being dragged into a nearly frozen lake, in Chapter 11.

Luke… Drowned in the lake, after pushing Clementine off a breaking patch of ice, in chapter 11.

Arvo… Shot in the chest by Jeff, after he shot Clementine, then shot in the head by Kenny, in chapter 12.

Bonnie… Last known to be alive and running away from Kenny, after Arvo shot Clementine, in chapter 12.

Mike… Last known to be alive and running away from Kenny, after Arvo shot Clementine, in chapter 12.

Jane… Last known to be alive, after being exiled from what remained of the group, in Chapter 13.

Edith… Last known to be alive, still guarding the main gates of Wellington, in Chapter 14.

Jeff… Last known to be alive. Seen leaving his hometown with Clementine, Kenny, AJ, and Abby, in the Epilogue.

Clementine… Last known to be alive. Seen leaving Jeff's hometown with Jeff, Kenny, Abby, and AJ, in the Epilogue.

Abby… 6 year old neighbor girl in Jeff's hometown. Found while the group was preparing to leave. Last known to be alive, leaving the town with Jeff, AJ, Clementine, and Kenny, in the Epilogue.

Kenny… Last known to be alive. Seen leaving with Jeff, AJ, Clementine and Abby, in the Epilogue.

AJ… Last known to be alive. Seen leaving with Jeff, Clementine, Kenny, and Abby, in the Epilogue.

 **And that's a wrap for this story! I know the epilogue was a bit long, but I wanted you guys to know what Jeff found out, when he went home, plus the status of the characters that mattered in the story. Also, the addition to the group at the end was kind of a last minute (litteraly) change to the story, as I decided Jeff needed a boost to his already happy-ish ending. Tell me what you think! Do you guys wanna know what's in the letter Jeff's parents left for him? How about an origin story for him? Tell me what you think in the reviews. Keep any eye out for the next story, called "Never Alone", to begin soon.**


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